Even free labor under capitalism is subject to economic compulsion to sell labor-power.
Evidence
Wolpe in a recent article (1976) points out that the distinction between āfreeā and āforcedā labor is not an adequate way of conceptualizing the relations of production of a capitalist social formation, since, for Marx, even in its classical form, āfree laborā is āfreeā only in a very specific and formal sense: it is, after all, subject to economic compulsions to sell its labor-power as a commodity. ā Hall, Stuart, Essential Essays, Volume 1, 599
Categorization
- DEFINE: Clarifies the precise Marxian sense of āfree laborā ā free in a formal legal sense but economically compelled.
- XREF: connects to: Capitalism must preserve labor as profit source despite its potential abolition ā Herbert Marcuse, One-Dimensional Man: Studies in theā¦, 240; Political freedom is impossible when economic dependence forces people to sell their labor ā Clara E. Mattei, The Capital Order: How Economistsā¦, 533; Capitalism requires disciplining workers into accepting private property and wage relations ā Clara E. Mattei, The Capital Order: How Economistsā¦, 834 (+2 more)