"From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs" is a slogan popularised by Karl Marx in his 1875 Critique of the Gotha Program. The principle refers to free access and distribution of goods, capital and services. In the Marxist view, such an arrangement will be made possible by the abundance of goods and services that a developed communist system will produce; the idea is that, with the full development of socialism and unfettered productive forces, there will be enough to satisfy everyone's needs.
Video From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs
Origin of the phrase
The complete paragraph containing Marx's statement of the creed in the Critique of the Gotha Program is as follows:
Although Marx is popularly thought of as the originator of the phrase, the slogan was common within the socialist movement. For example, it was used by August Becker in 1844 and Louis Blanc in 1851. The origin of this phrasing has also been attributed to the French utopian Étienne-Gabriel Morelly, who proposed in his 1755 Code of Nature "Sacred and Fundamental Laws that would tear out the roots of vice and of all the evils of a society", including:
A similar phrase can be found in the Guilford Covenant in 1639:
Some scholars trace the origin of the phrase to the New Testament. In Acts of the Apostles the lifestyle of the community of believers in Jerusalem is described as communal (without individual possession), and uses the phrase "distribution was made unto every man according as he had need" (????????? ?? ?????? ?????? ?? ??? ?????? ?????):
Maps From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs
Debates on the idea
Marx delineated the specific conditions under which such a creed would be applicable--a society where technology and social organization had substantially eliminated the need for physical labor in the production of things, where "labor has become not only a means of life but life's prime want". Marx explained his belief that, in such a society, each person would be motivated to work for the good of society despite the absence of a social mechanism compelling them to work, because work would have become a pleasurable and creative activity. Marx intended the initial part of his slogan, "from each according to his ability" to suggest not merely that each person should work as hard as they can, but that each person should best develop their particular talents.
Claiming themselves to be at a "lower stage of communism" (i.e. "socialism", in line with Marx's terminology), the Soviet Union adapted the formula as: "From each according to his ability, to each according to his work (labour investment)".
While liberation theology has sought to interpret the Christian call for justice in a way that is in harmony with this Marxist dictum, some Christians have noted that Jesus' teaching in the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) affirms only "each according to his ability" (Matt. 25:15), and not "to each according to his needs".
See also
References
Further reading
- Carens, Joseph (2003). "An Interpretation of the Socialist Principle of Distribution". Social Philosophy & Policy. 20 (1): 145-77. doi:10.1017/S0265052503201072.
- Cohen, G. A. (1995). "Self-ownership, communism, and equality: against the Marxist technological fix". Self-ownership, freedom, and equality. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-47751-4.
- Gilabert, Pablo (2015). "The Socialist Principle 'From Each According To Their Abilities, To Each According To Their Needs'". Journal of Social Philosophy. 46 (2): 197-225. doi:10.1111/josp.12096.
External links
- Critique of the Gotha Program (includes Marx's original use of the slogan)
- Marxism and Ethics
- Encountering Communism: the theories of Karl Marx
Source of article : Wikipedia
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