Why Life as in 'Manifesto of The Communist Party' is Unlikely to Become Real

In today’s society, the advancement of technology is due to the creation of artificial intelligence in the workplace along with the rise of many tech companies. The progression of technology has led to what many considered to be technological utopianism, a term describing how technological advancements can bring about change in a society believing that these changes will lead to a Utopia; a lifetime of prosperity, the relief of hunger, a solution to poverty, and combating diseases. However, have these technological innovations lead to what Marx and Engel believed to be the destruction of capitalism or have it led us toward a life of higher prosperity and equality? In Marx and Engel’s Chapter II “Proletarians and Communists” from the Manifesto of the Communist Party, Marx and Engel criticize the rising power held by the bourgeoisie due to wealth accumulate within a capitalist society stating that a communist system will benefit the working class as a whole. Although many consider a communist system would bring about a Utopia, with the evolution of technology on the rise, a capitalist system will allow technology to grow as small businesses and companies are able to flourish and humans are given the freedom to make a living for themselves.

During the Industrial Revolution, technological progression paved way for capitalists turning them into people of high power and wealth. Marx and Engels' Manifesto of the Communist Party recognizes the class struggles between the proletariats and the bourgeoisie. They believe that under a capitalist society, the working class is being exploited because those “who work acquire nothing and those who acquire anything do not work”. The proletariats would become dependent on the capitalists (bourgeoisie) for survival as wealth and any means of productions are controlled by them. In other words, while the working class is being exploited to work in such conditions, the bourgeoisie are profiting off of their labor. Though Marx and Engels predicted that a proletariat revolution would eventually rise, thus outlining the course for “advanced countries,' communist systems have succeeded in impoverished countries that have low technologically progressed such as China and Russia.

When considering The American Dream, capitalism is regarded as the American way of living as businesses are able to grow and benefit from it. The idea that prosperity can only exist in a society with limited inequality and the abolishment of class structure is entirely false as “prosperity depends upon freedom”. When individuals are given the freedom they so crave, they are able to improve their lives. In addition, now more globalized than ever due to technology advancements, a capitalist society will lead us to a good place as businesses and individuals can flourish without any government interventions. Technologies cannot drive itself. It is through capitalist individuals that allow technology to advance this far. Who would have thought that the progression of technology would lead to new jobs such as data analysts, influencers, youtubers, and app developers.

Though utopian visions help us imagine a desirable way of living, it is an attainable place rooted in socialist ideologies. With the advancement of technology still on the rise, these technological innovations such as artificial intelligence and the rise of tech companies are considered to be of protopia nature in a capitalist society. As Shermer states in his article, protopia is “a state that is better today than yesterday”. Utopia and dystopia are viewed as a destination, a place of happiness or suffering, whereas protopia should be seen as a journey that will eventually lead us to a good place though hard to visualize. Considered transportations. Since the 19th century, cars, airplanes, and other transportation methods have evolved slowly with decades of improvements leading to the production of electric cars and high-powered jets today. Therefore, the advancement of technology should be viewed as a state of protopia through its progression.

Despite this, Marx and Engels’ prediction of a communist society is unlikely to happen. They did not account for the adaptability of capitalism as “anticommunism is the refusal to throw out the water. The next step is to figure out to clean”. Though the gap between the upper and working class continues to widen due to wages and jobs inequalities, it has also welcomed many new jobs. Furthermore, Marx and Engels did not account the need for productivity for technology to advance. A capitalist society depends on workers’ productivity to increase the means of production that would in the end benefit the economy as a whole. While technology continues to evolve, new problems regarding employment and the staggering gap between social classes will be the future of capitalism. However, we should view these problems as a state of protopia.