The ideas that revolutionized the world are:

1. Need for a classless economic society.

2. Religion is man’s opium, for it only creates a
world of illusion for man who cannot find his
happiness in this world
3. Society should be changed, but philosophizing
about it is inadequate.
4. This action is in the form of social revolution, led
by the proletariat, the oppressed class. The
revolution can be done by abolishing private
property.
5. The reason for this is that “the fundamental form
of human work is not thought but manual labor”
the product of which, by self-alienation in the
present society, does not belong to laborer.
6. The capitalist system exploits the worker, for the
capitalist does not pay the worker the full value
of the commodity he produces.
7. Man is not primarily contemplative but active.
His activity is in production.
Marx’s theory of history is known as dialectic
materialism – “materialist in the sense that
the basic factor in history is for him man’s
economic activity, his physical needs.”
The Marxist Conception of Work to Plattel
Martin G. Plattel
 He compares the Marxist
and Christian analogy of
work.
 Main differences:

1. The Marxist view extols work as the

highest value. He “humanizes” nature
through his work, and nature “naturalizes”
him by activating the forces dormant in
him.
2. To the Marxist, the value of work has no
imperfection, while to the Christians, it will
always imply an imperfection since it belongs
only to the sphere of the useful.

3. To Marx, “in the final stage of society,

everyone will work according to his
capacities” He will be happy in his work and
be filled with brotherly love. To the
Christians, work is for this earth alone,
through self fullfilling and oriented towards
love for others.
4. Marx talks of work often in terms of pure
love. But because he is atheistic, his love is
only of his earth. The Christian regards
human love as part of divine love and,
therefore, goes beyond the Marxist concept.
Implications for the Filipino Workers

Philippine economy economic problems:

1. Land Reform
2. Unemployment
3. High Prices
4. Lowered productivity due to a number of
causes.
5. Plight of overseas contract workers
6. Prostitution, especially child prostitution
Two main causes of the problems of the
Filipino workers are:

1. Poverty
2. Unjust social structures.
Unjust structures of exploitation are still
around, but there are attempts to address
them. The answer comes from three sources:

1. The Government
2. The Church
3. The left and its different kinds
The Constitution on Labor

Father Joaquin G. Bernas

 Discusses the socio-historical context of the labor
concepts in the American Constitution, where the
“central ideology, the American lawmakers
provided for devices to prevent concentration of
power, and this could be found in the power
distribution among the executive, legislative, and
judicial branches.
The Constitution on Labor

Father Joel Tabora

 Strongly urges the environment of the grassroots
sector. There is a need for these to be organized –
alnong Christian lines – interacting with the
intellectuals and the bourgeoisie but not being
manipulated by the latter.
Let us try with all our hearts to restructure
our society in such way that we put our
Filipino worker where he rightfully belongs:
loving his work, proud of it, working in
contentment, in dignity, in justice, in love of
God and neighbor, and in hope for a better
life.