Dehumanization and Collectivization

The focus of Marx's criticism of Capitalism is its treatment of workers, beginning with the inherently unjust system of compensating the creation of surplus-value in raw material with the minimum wage possible. Now, more recently Capitalism has attempted to tweak this type of market exchange, sometimes voluntarily, sometimes under pressure from Labor Unions, by enhancing retribution with higher pay, benefits, etc. However, that type of modification does not address the deeper stratum of Marx's concern--the dehumanization of the worker effected by the reduction of an organism to a piece of machinery, one result of which even Smith recognizes--social fragmentation. In contrast, the Marxist corrective to dehumanization--the collectivization of the means of production, thus also addresses Smith's worry, i. e. by restoring social cohesion.