On Aristotle and Marx: A Critique of Aristotelian Themes in Marxist Labor Theory

This paper examines the influences of Aristotelian moral economic thought on Marx’s labor theory. This paper looks at certain moral ethical frameworks attributed to Aristotle and later used by Marx in developing his ideas on communism. The similarities between Marx’s labor theory and Aristotle’s ethical theories, including those on human flourishing (eudaimonia), justice and exchange, will be examined. This paper also finds that Marx’s communist model is partly an adaptation of Aristotle’s household economy (oikonomia). This study reveals not only the influences Aristotle’s moral economic theory had on Marx, but also the implications of its applications to Marxist labor theory.