Differentiating Marx and Rousseau

Political philosophers Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Karl Marx dreamt up and developed unique theories of total revolution. Although similar in their intention to dissolve dividing institutions such as religion and class structure, as well as their shared reluctance to accept the rather less hopeful conclusions of government and man that had been drawn by their predecessors Thomas Hobbes and John Locke, the blueprints Rousseau and Marx had printed were cited to two very different sources. Rousseau approached the problem of oppression from a political standpoint, focusing on the flawed foundation of liberal individualism that has been continually adopted by democracies. Marx on the other hand took an unconventional route of concentrating on economics. By completely eliminating the economic class system, Marx believed there could be a society of which would transcend the realm of politics. Despite their different approaches, both theories conclude in universal equality, a real equality between humans that has never before been observed in any lasting civilization. While both theories operate on reason and seem to be sound, they remain unproven due to their contingency on various factors of time and place, but mainly on their prerequisite of incorruptibility. Now, while both theories may very well have the odds dramatically stacked against their favor, I believe they must be thoroughly dissected for their content before attempting to condemn them to utopianism.

In his Manifesto of the Communist Party Karl Marx created a radical theory revolving not around the man made institution of government itself, but around the ever present guiding vice of man that is materialism and the economic classes that stemmed from it. By unfolding the relat...

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... possibility of passing, one being an Internet censorship bill, that would make illegal the social networking sites of which have been instrumental in organizing revolutions across the globe, as well as the occupy movement. The second being the National Defense Authorization Act of which passed the senate by a vote of ninety-three to seven that would allow the indefinite military detention of any American citizen believed to have engaged in terrorist activities and Americans know how loosely defined the word terrorist has become. It seems the very near feature that may very well hold the cause for a proletariat a revolution with revolutionaries that are not hungry for power, but starving for equality. The type of revolution that may ensue is unknown but it is possible for Marx and Rousseau’s dream to come true, if adopted by the majority and entered into willingly.