Introduction

I’m Björn Westergard, a 27-year-old software developer and resident of Washington, D.C. I’m interested in the political ramifications of the changing character of work.

The title of this blog is a reference to the question David Ricardo raised in 1821 of “the influence of machinery on the interests of the different classes of society”. His conclusion, “that the substitution of machinery for human labour, is often very injurious to the interests of the class of labourers”, rings true today, however much the machines, injuries, and class of laborers in question have changed in the interim.

This site is a place to collect my notes on this - admittedly very broad - topic, which I plan to approach through readings in the philosophy of technology (with an emphasis on software), labor process theory, and the “value-form” currents of Marx interpretation.

My email address is bjornw at gmail dot com.