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From each according to his ability, to each according to his need (or needs) is a slogan popularized by Karl Marx in his 1875 Critique of the Gotha Program. The phrase summarizes the idea that, under a communist system, every person shall produce to the best of their ability in accordance with their talent, and each person shall receive the fruits of this production in accordance with their need, irrespective of what they have produced. In the Marxist view, such an arrangement will be made possible by the abundance of goods and services that a developed communist society will produce; the idea is that there will be enough to satisfy everyone's needs.

Contents 1 Origin of the phrase 2 Debates on the phrase 3 Real-World Examples 3.1 In 'Primitive' Societies 3.2 The Family 3.3 Communes 3.4 In the Mind of the U.S. Public 3.5 More Broadly 4 References 5 See also 6 External links

The complete paragraph containing Marx's original statement of the creed is as follows:

In a higher phase of communist society, after the enslaving subordination of the individual to the division of labor, and therewith also the antithesis between mental and physical labor, has vanished; after labor has become not only a means of life but life's prime want; after the productive forces have also increased with the all-around development of the individual, and all the springs of co-operative wealth flow more abundantly -- only then can the narrow horizon of bourgeois right be crossed in its entirety and society inscribe on its banners: From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs!

Although Marx is popularly thought of as the author of the phrase, it has been widely speculated that he merely co-opted a term earlier used by other leaders of the communist movement. The slogan was first used by Louis Blanc in 1840, in "The organization of work", as a revision of a quote by the utopian socialist Henri de Saint Simon, who claimed that each should be rewarded according to how much they work. Despite the secular nature of Marxism, inspiration for this creed may have been drawn from the early Christian communism of the 1600s.

An earlier exposition of this idea, however, is found in the Bible, in Acts of the Apostles. Luke describes the organization of the first Christian congregations following the death of Jesus:

And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. (Acts 2:44-45)

...

Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, and laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need. (Acts 4:34-35)

This passage is important to Christian leftists. For further information see Christian communism, Christian socialism, Christian anarchism.

Opponents of Marxism, for example Ayn Rand, have interpreted this statement as saying that people should receive as much as they ask for, and they argue that the unproductive will ask for more than they produce, or more than they deserve (see for example "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand). In response, Marxists usually argue that needs are objective (and refer to such things as food, shelter, education and medical care), and that they are more or less equal between members of the general population. Since communism entails the abolition of private property, it would be impossible for people to hoard things that they do not actually need. In a propertyless society, most objects would be shared; when one person is not using such an object, someone else may pick it up and use it.

However Marxists do accept that some people need more resources than they can produce - for example the elderly or the chronically sick. The principle assumes that such people have a right to these resources, whereas Ayn Rand (for example) specifically asserts that they do not.

Marx specifically delineated the conditions under which such a creed would be applicable - a society where technology had substantially eliminated the need for physical labor in the production of things. Marx explained his belief that in such a society, each person would be motivated to work for the good of society despite the absence of a social mechanism compelling work, because work would become a pleasurable and creative activity. Marx intended the initial part of his slogan, "from each according to his ability" to suggest not merely that each person should work as hard as they can, but that each person should best develop their particular talents.

As the most prominent follower of the Marx' theory, Soviet Union adopted the formula with a little modification, namely: "From each according to his ability, to each according to his work (labour investment)" suggesting that each participant of this social system must 'earn' the right for sharing the benefits of socialism, rather than just been enabled for their utilization.

Marxists, as well as some anthropologists, have asserted that hunter-gatherer societies were characterised by a communal economic system. In Marxism this is called primitive communism.

In general, there is a social expectation that parents should provide for their children - to the point that failing to do so is criminal - and that married adults should share their wealth with one another.

Some left-wingers have therefore suggested that the family is an example of communal economics. For example William Montgomery Brown wrote that

Always, because we were human, we have had to introduce cooperation, or we could not get along at all.

The family is just one instance. The institution of the family could thrive only as it adopted the principles of communism. The need of every member had to be considered, the various members as a rule learned family loyalty, family devotion, and family love. If these expressions are not as strong as they once were, it is not because human nature has changed but because there are so many human affairs nowadays that the family cannot attend to, and they have to be carried on by other organizations. [1]\

Others argue that children, who are not ready to independently exercise their rights, "muddies" the example of the family as a communal society. In many societies children leave home when they come of age.

There have been a number of attempts to practice the principle in small groups, in the midst of societies based on other economic systems. These attempts have not necessarily been directly inspired by Marx or Marxism. For example see:

• Diggers
• Kibbutz
• Commune

In some cases the small-scale attempts are intended to be the catalyst for a change in the broader society. Many critics of communal living don't object to voluntary experimentation. It is the forced (government force) commune or forced "sharing" that they object to.

A poll claimed that almost half the population of the United States believe that the U.S. Constitution is the source of Marx's phrase, "so obviously right does the sentiment seem"^[1].

Most communists and anarchists, as well as some socialists depending on how the term is defined, could be said to believe in a society whose economy would be based around the principle.

In addition there are a number of streams of thought which hold to a similar principle in a limited form. For example Catholic social teaching holds that everyone has the right to a basic standard of living, even if they are unable to earn it by their own efforts. Thus, for example, the able-bodied are bound to subsidize the handicapped. The idea of the welfare state is based on a similar idea, and the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights asserts a similar "right to social security" [2].

1. ^ Noam Chomsky, Necessary Illusions, citing FAIR, Press Release, July 19, 1988. Poll on Constitution, Boston Globe Magazine, Sept. 13, 1987, cited by Julius Lobel, in Julius Lobel, ed., A Less than Perfect Union (Monthly Review, 1988, 3).

• Workers of the world, unite!
• To each according to his contribution
• He who does not work, neither shall he eat
• communism
• socialism
• anarchism

• Critique of the Gotha Program (includes Marx's original use of the slogan)
• Marxism and Ethics
• What Does the Bible Say About Communism & Socialism?
• Encountering Communism: the theories of Karl Marx