On 2/16/04 9:58 AM, in article ,
"Michel Boucher" > wrote:

> Marx argued that capitalism was not possible if people could not be
> constrained to work. This was the problem of most colonies where the
> natives could live freely off the land. Private ownership of all
> subsistence resources was capitalism's answer. Obviously, if only
> two hours a day of not particularly gruelling labour is necessary to
> produce subsistence level resources and that these resources are
> available without the obligation of binding agreements to work 12
> hours to earn 6 hour's worth of wealth, then no one could be
> constrained to work for a pittance in unsanitary and unsafe
> conditions.

Marx had an explanation for everything, didn't he? I don't buy his
explanations very much, because there was no capitalism to speak of when the
first farms were created - it may have evolved to avoid having to move
around a lot and to try to make sure there was enough to eat always.