"To Produce His Means of Subsistence"

Marx defines man as a creature who "begins to distinguish himself from the animal the moment he begins to produce his means of subsistence, a step required by his physical organization" (Marx 107). This is like Gandhi and his metaphor with the railroads and how railroads are bad because they are created by man and pull man faster and farther away from his maker. Man is one of the only animals who really does produce for himself. Think about it. We are constantly creating machines and certain inventions meant to make our lives easier, to aid us in our existence, to sustain ourselves. These are not natural creations and were not inherited in our genes. These "alien" developments are what Marx says separates Man from animals and thus natural history and the history of man. The idea of further production is, as Marx stresses, the main goal of man in society. Thus, the division of labor, the economic system, etc etc.

Communism is what Marx thinks is the next step in man's history. Man's "physical organization" and production. But can man subsist off this?