1697: Serhii Podolynsky: Socialist Scientific Humanism, Labour, Energy, and Ecological Economics
Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): Medium (Personal)
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2026/06/06
“Once we accept the constancy of energy, we must also accept that labour creates nothing in the strict sense; its usefulness lies in transforming given quantities of force.”
“Human labour can store up more energy in its results than was required to produce the worker’s labour-power.”
“The total energy of the universe is constant, but the quantities of energy present in different regions of the universe are not the same.”
“Human labour is an important factor in the distribution of energy over the surface of the Earth.”
“The movements of a snail or a butterfly are not labour, because they merely disperse energy rather than accumulate it.”
“Whenever the productivity of human labour falls below the necessary level, poverty and often population decline follow.”
“When the usefulness of labour rises above that level, prosperity and population growth may be expected.”
“Useful labour serves to increase artificially the quantity of products where the natural products of the Earth cannot satisfy human needs.”
“The best means of employing human labour are those that cause the greatest accumulation of energy on Earth.”
“Under socialism, every mechanical or other improvement would directly reduce the labour time of all workers, giving them leisure for new production, intellectual culture, and artistic culture.”
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