Are Humans Resources? LO15705

Richard C. Holloway (learnshops@thresholds.com)
Sun, 09 Nov 1997 10:53:39 -0800

Replying to LO15688 --

Scott Simmerman wrote:

> Funny, I've been working for 20 years to get people to begin to think of
> people as Human Capital and to treat them as such, valued (not
> depreciated) and more of an appreciating asset.

Scott,

I think that the idea of humans (or labor) as a form of capital occurred
to young Karl Marx over a century ago.

Why is the idea of humans as resources significantly different to you than
the idea of humans being a form of capital?

I'm wondering whether the continuing "objectification" of people as a
means of production (resource or capital) is antithetical to a learning
organization? It seems to me that by objectifying people, water, animals,
air, etc., as exchange media continues to exacerbate rather than remedy
many of the problems people identify on this list.

regards,

Doc

-- 
"Is there some notion abroad that man must repeat himself?  To repeat is
to go against the laws of the spirit, its forward motion."    -Pablo
Picasso

Richard C. "Doc" Holloway Visit me at http://www.thresholds.com/community/learnshops/index.html Or e-mail me at <mailto:learnshops@thresholds.com> Your partner for workforce development Mailing Address: P.O. Box 2361 Phone: 01 360 786 0925 Olympia, WA 98507 USA Fax: 01 360 709 4361

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