Capitalism, Socialism, Selfhood

Self-Interest may function as a fundamental element in Capitalist theory, but the concept of 'self' that is at Smith's disposal is hardly simple--Hume's 'bundle of perception'.  In contrast, Marx is the beneficiary of Kant's and Hegel's contributions to the topic--'Self-Affection' and 'Recognition', respectively--the common theme of which is the transformability of a Humean 'bundle' via the active contribution to it.  In other words, according to these innovations, one can alter oneself by being the cause of constituents that constitute one's 'self'.  To Marx, the significance of that possibility is that one can change oneself via one's Labor, with respect to the result of which a Capitalist 'individual' is, to put it most charitably, an underdeveloped stage.  But, the intervening development is more than one of degree--the Hume/Smith 'self' is passively determined, while Marx's is self-determining.  Hence, the transformation can be characterized as 'empowerment' or 'maturation', or perhaps more epochally, a transition from Homo Sapiens to Homo Faber.  150 years later, a Capitalist response remains forthcoming.