Practice and Labor as Undivided Activity, Alienated Labor, and the Question of Surplus Value

We know since the time of Lao Tzi and Kong Zi and then with Cromwell in England that a situation where “Many labor under conditions of alienated labor for a One that no longer works” is not good for a commonwealth or common prosperity. A commonwealth, and its governance, must balance the talents and riches of the One with the needs of the Many. Nevertheless, there remains a gap between ideals and how the same ideals may result in practical mistreatment regardless of political orientation. A commonwealth is a principled way to speak about social capitalism, since capitalism speaks of a system and a culture centered around profit, not much better than mercantilism. This situation differs from ideology that puts a nice face on to rapacious relations of domination. Critical reason is a critique of relations of domination.