Marxist programming

I plan to write on technology and culture in this series of blog posts. This is the start of the discussion of the cultural parts of programming. The idea started with a joke during afternoon coffee at work, and then I made a speech on the matter at an internal conference, also as a joke. When I think about it, it deserves to be more than a joke, so I will dig into the subject.

I was into politics when I was younger, which made me read some Marxist theory. I am not a Marxist by ideology, but I find his way of analysing society interesting. I usually present my political view as a Marxist Liberal, half to provoke, as liberals don't like Marxism and Marxists don't like liberals, but also halfway true: I share a lot of liberal values and don't like the autocratic ways of the Marxist countries. On the other hand, I think liberalism is naive in many ways, as the economic forces make a lot of people unfree. Freedom for the individuals is what I want. Freedom to live even in a conservative manner.

This blog is not about politics, so I will not elaborate on that. This series of blog posts will, however, provide an amateur Marxist analysis of programming and technology, focusing on how technological advancements influence societal structures. It applies dialectical materialism to examine the interplay between technological 'base' (infrastructure and labour) and 'superstructure' (social norms and laws). The discussion extends to technological determinism, highlighting contradictions like increased connectivity versus privacy concerns.

Key themes include the role of software development tools as the "means of production" in the digital age, class struggle within the tech industry, and the commodification of software. The concept of alienation among programmers and the balance between technological determinism and the social shaping of technology are also explored.

Finally, the series addresses the digital divide, technological inequality and the impact of globalization and outsourcing on labour distribution. This analysis aims to provide insights into the complex relationship between technology, programming, and social dynamics from a Marxist perspective.

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