Final answer:
The student's question pertains to the concept of alienation within Marxist theory. Workers in a capitalist society experience alienation from their products, processes, and even from themselves and others, because the means of production are owned by capitalists, not the workers. This results in a loss of personal investment, creativity, and human connection.
Step-by-step explanation:
The concept being explored in the student's question is alienation from the product of one's labor, a pivotal idea in Marxist theory. This alienation occurs in various forms within capitalist societies, as described by Marx. For instance, an industrial worker's inability to connect with the final product they help create is a consequence of the division and specialization of labor.
An example of this can be seen in a factory setting, where a worker may contribute to just one part of an entire product, such as installing windows in car doors on a Ford assembly line, without ever seeing the finished car. This specialization leads workers to view their labor merely as a means to earn wages, thereby losing personal investment and any sense of fulfillment that might be derived from seeing a project through from start to finish.
Moreover, because the workers do not own the means of production, they also become alienated from the process of their work. Every aspect of production is controlled by the capitalists or bourgeoisie, limiting the workers' autonomy and creative expression. This affects not only the relationship with their own labor but also with others, as individuals within this system begin to see each other more as commodities or competition, rather than fellow human beings with intrinsic worth.
The commodification of labor, therefore, leads workers to a disconnect from their own humanity, the products of their labor, and from each other, embedding them deeper into the capitalist system, even to the point of defining themselves by their work and what they can afford to consume.