Charles Marques

Charles Marques is a Steyllch philosopher and economist. He's the main influence of the Steyllch Revolution. His doctrine is called Marquisme. His main book is called "Theory of value and work".

Theory of value

Marques is a materialist and empiricist. His theory of value is tied to observation and deduction. His starting point is that the only things that can be valued are either objects or acts. Since all objects are the product of work, and acts are work in themselves, all value is directly derived from work. From this point, acquiring value from ownership is in fact extracting value from work without participating in said work. Therefore, value out of property is theft.

Theory of institutions

From Marques's perspective institutions are tools used to maintain an order.

The order of the proprietors is based on 2 institutions: propriety and debt. Should propriety give right to the acquisition of value, it will lead to the creation of a limited and more and more concentrated class of unproductive people. The only way this class will maintain its rights is through violence. Comes the second institution: debt. Debt is an obligation of transfer of value imposed through either direct violence (war or enslavement), or through a self-referrential contract (someone owns property and will lend it to someone else that has to pay for the fact property is owned in the first place). Proprietors ensure the order is maintained by controlling law and what they deem legitimate violence.

Political implications of the theory of value

Since workers are the only ones producing value, they should be the ones in charge of the political destiny of the community. But the ruling class has subdued the working class through forced labour and extract value without producing anything meaningful themselves. Their mean of extraction is violence through dedicated institutions: militias and military power, a judicial power based on flawed principles and institutions (law) aimed at justifying the violence of extraction.

Marques theorises two forms of violence. The violence of the ruling class, based on essence and the use of laws and coercition. The violence of the oppressed class aimed at resisting the first violence. Marques calls for the oppressed to rise up and tear down the institutions that steals their work from them.