Are We Free at Work? Marx on Capitalism Today | Brian Leiter

In this episode of Brain in a Vat, we’re joined by Brian Leiter, co-author (with Jamie Edwards) of a new book on Marx. We explore whether workers in contemporary capitalism are truly free—or trapped in a form of “wage slavery.” Leiter uses thought experiments to probe the limits of workplace freedom. He also examines Marx’s labor theory of value—its strengths and flaws—and shows how modern capitalism both confirms and diverges from Marx’s predictions.

The conversation then turns to labor, technological change, human nature, and artificial intelligence—culminating in a pressing question: what futures of work await us under capitalism?

Read "Marx (The Routledge Philosophers)" by Brian Leiter and Jaime Edwards here: https://www.amazon.com/Marx-Routledge...

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome
00:18 Thought Experiment: Are You a Wage Slave?
02:10 Free Labor vs. Unfree Labor
05:11 Historical Context and Modern Implications
16:07 Capitalism's Role in Technological Progress
20:22 Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Work
32:05 The Essential Nature of Human Beings
38:59 Critiques of Marx's Naivety
46:25 Technological Innovation and Labor
51:33 Marx's Labor Theory of Value
58:18 Fetishism of Commodities
01:00:59 Future of Capitalism and Human Nature
01:10:14 Concluding Thoughts on Marx and Capitalism

Presenters: Mark Oppenheimer and Jason Werbeloff
Editor and Producer: Ella Coleman

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Contact us: Mark.Oppenheimer[at]gmail and Jwerbe[at]gmail