Smith and Marx on the division of labour

Abstract

Adam Smith and Karl Marx, as two of history's most important economists, have both dealt with the subject of the division oflabour in their writings. The first chapter of Smith's The Wealth of Nations (Cahn, 2012, pp. 663-680) consists of an exposition of this phenomenon, and the role that Smith attributes to it is, according to Schumpeter, that of being no less than "the only factor in economic progress," (Rosenberg, 1965, p. 128). It is precisely this utilitarian attitude towards the division of labour that Smith takes. Marx demonstrates a similar appreciation for the effects on production that the division of labour brought about, and accusations of romanticism for the previous era of artisan work are rendered hollow by his view that the division of labour represents a step forward, by creating a class of workers who are aware that their labouring is but a part of the greater relations of production of society (Gorz, 1989, p. 24).