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From Formal Subsumption to General Intellect: Elements for a Marxist Reading of the Thesis of Cognitive Capitalism, in Historical Materialism

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  • Carlo Vercellone

    (CES - Centre d'économie de la Sorbonne - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

Abstract

Since the crisis of Fordism, capitalism has been characterised by the ever more central role ofknowledge and the rise of the cognitive dimensions of labour. This is not to say that the centralityof knowledge to capitalism is new per se. Rather, the question we must ask is to what extent we canspeak of a new role for knowledge and, more importantly, its relationship with transformations inthe capital/labour relation. From this perspective, the paper highlights the continuing validity ofMarx's analysis of the knowledge/power relation in the development of the division of labour. Moreprecisely, we are concerned with the theoretical and heuristic value of the concepts of formalsubsumption, real subsumption and general intellect for any interpretation of the present change ofthe capital/labour relation in cognitive capitalism. In this way, we show the originality of the generalintellect hypothesis as a sublation of real subsumption. Finally, the article summarises keycontradictions and new forms of antagonism in cognitive capitalism.

Suggested Citation

  • Carlo Vercellone, 2007. "From Formal Subsumption to General Intellect: Elements for a Marxist Reading of the Thesis of Cognitive Capitalism, in Historical Materialism," Université Paris1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (Post-Print and Working Papers) halshs-00263661, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:cesptp:halshs-00263661
    DOI: 10.1163/156920607X171681
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://shs.hal.science/halshs-00263661
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Rotta, Tomás N. & Teixeira, Rodrigo A., 2018. "The commodification of knowledge and information," Greenwich Papers in Political Economy 19448, University of Greenwich, Greenwich Political Economy Research Centre.
    2. Carlo Vercellone, 2008. "La thèse du capitalisme cognitif : une mise en perspective historique et théorique," Université Paris1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (Post-Print and Working Papers) halshs-00401880, HAL.
    3. Allen J. Scott, 2008. "Resurgent Metropolis: Economy, Society and Urbanization in an Interconnected World," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(3), pages 548-564, September.
    4. Jean-Marie Monnier & Carlo Vercellone, 2017. "Basic income as primary income [Le revenu de base comme revenu primaire]," Université Paris1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (Post-Print and Working Papers) hal-01486202, HAL.
    5. Andrea Fumagalli & Stefano Lucarelli & Elena Musolino & Giulia Rocchi, 2018. "Digital Labour in the Platform Economy: The Case of Facebook," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-16, May.
    6. Monnier Jean-Marie & Vercellone Carlo, 2014. "The Foundations and Funding of Basic Income as Primary Income," Basic Income Studies, De Gruyter, vol. 9(1-2), pages 59-77, December.
    7. repec:vrs:joheec:v:1:y:2014:i:1:p:79-99:n:4 is not listed on IDEAS
    8. Jeon, Heesang, 2015. "Knowledge and Contemporary Capitalism in Light of Marx's Value Theory," Thesis Commons g5njk, Center for Open Science.
    9. Fumagalli, Andrea & Lucarelli, Stefano, 2008. "Cognitive Capitalism as a Financial Economy of Production," MPRA Paper 27989, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    10. Carlo Vercellone, 2008. "La thèse du capitalisme cognitif : une mise en perspective historique et théorique," Post-Print halshs-00401880, HAL.
    11. Bruno Tinel, 2013. "Why and How Do Capitalists Divide Labour? From Marglin and Back again through Babbage and Marx," Review of Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(2), pages 254-272, April.
    12. Bruno Tinel, 2013. "Why and how do capitalists divide labor? From Marglin and back again through Babbage and Marx," Université Paris1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (Post-Print and Working Papers) hal-00763837, HAL.
    13. Ben Fine, Heesang Jeon, Gong H. Gimm, 2019. "Value is as Value Does: Twixt Knowledge and the World Economy," Fiscaoeconomia, Tubitak Ulakbim JournalPark (Dergipark), issue s1.
    14. Karakilic, Emrah, 2019. "Rethinking intellectual property rights in the cognitive and digital age of capitalism: An autonomist Marxist reading," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 1-9.
    15. Laurent Baronian & Carlo Vercellone, 2013. "Moneta del comune e reddito sociale garantito," Post-Print halshs-00819014, HAL.
    16. Katarzyna Gruszka & Manuel Scholz-Wäckerle & Ernest Aigner, 2020. "Planetary carambolage: The evolutionary political economy of technology, nature and work," Review of Evolutionary Political Economy, Springer, vol. 1(3), pages 273-293, November.
    17. Emrah Karakilic, 2022. "Why Do Humans Remain Central to the Knowledge Work in the Age of Robots? Marx’s Fragment on Machines and Beyond," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 36(1), pages 179-189, February.
    18. Bruno Tinel, 2013. "Why and how do capitalists divide labor? From Marglin and back again through Babbage and Marx," Post-Print hal-00763837, HAL.

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