Karl Marx and Capitalist Alienation

1843 Words4 Pages

The concept of alienation plays a significant role in Marx's early political writing, especially in the Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of 1848, but it is rarely mentioned in his later works. This implies that while Marx found alienation useful in investigating certain basic aspects of the development of capitalist society, it is less useful in putting forward the predictions of the collapse of capitalism. The aim of this essay is to explain alienation, and show how it fits into the pattern of Marx's thought. It will be concluded that alienation is a useful tool in explaining the affect of capitalism on human existence. In Marx's thought, however, the usefulness of alienation it is limited to explanation. It does not help in either predicting the downfall of capitalism, or the creation of communism.

Marx takes his idea of alienation from Feuerbach, who shows the alienation of man from God. Briefly, Feuerbach's argument is that God is created by man as the 'projection of man's species-essence, the totality of his powers and attributes raised to the level of infinity' (1). Religion alienates man by reversing the relationship between the subject and predicate - the Deity is supreme over man, even though it is created by man. Leszek Kolakowski suggests that the clearest material example of religious alienation is blood sacrifice. In general, therefore, alienation of man is the process that separates man from part of himself. In Feuerbach, the separation is between man and the god created in man's image. In Marx, as shall be seen, alienation is the separation between man and his life-activity, his product, society and the species. Each of these four relations can be seen as one aspect of man being separated from himself.
...

... middle of paper ...

...(rather than local) being. (13) Thus, although alienation provides an understanding of the problems of capitalism, it does not provide a means of escaping it.

1. L. Kolakowski, Main Currents of Marxism, pp 115.

2. L. Kolakowski, Main Currents of Marxism, pp 115.

3. B. Ollman, Alienation, pp 133.

4. S. Avineri, Karl Marx: Social and Political Thought.

5. This point is also put forward by Herbert Marcuse.

6. L. Kolakowski, Main Currents of Marxism.

7. K. Marx, Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts.

8. B. Ollman, Alienation, pp131.

9. G. A. Cohen, Karl Marx's Theory of History: A defence.

10. H. Marcuse, Reason and Revolution.

11. K. Marx, Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts.

12. B. Ollman, Alienation, pp138.

13. Spiritual in the sense of human fulfilment in work, rather than any religious sense.

14. K. Marx, The German Ideology, pp56.

Show More
Related

  • Black Boy by Richard Wright

    1159 Words  | 3 Pages

    What does alienation mean? "Alienation (or "estrangement" means, for Marx, that man does not experience himself as the acting agent in his grasp of the world, but that the world (nature, others and he himself) remain alien to him. They stand above and against him as objects, even though they may be objects of his own creation. Alienation is essentially experiencing the world and oneself passively, receptively, as the subject separated from the object." 1.(ch5, Marx's Concept of Man, by Erich Fromm) Alienation for what I understand it to be, is that I as a human being, (subject), I'm living my life with out being able to dictate what I want to do with it. The oppressors of my world are the ones dictating what I'm supposed to be doing with it. This creates my alienation from my world; making me live a life of oppression. You basically become a slave to your world.

    Read More

  • Historical Roles of Alienation, Class, and Hegemony

    915 Words  | 2 Pages

    Alienation, as defined by Williams, has two meanings. He first describes the term as "an act of estrangement, normally in relation to a `cutting-off' or being cut off from God, or to a breakdown of relations between a man or a group and some received political authority." The second definition Williams gives for alienation is "the act of transferring the ownership of anything to another, and especially the transfer of rights, estates, or money. Alienation is a major concept in Marx's Communist Manifesto. Marx argues that class struggle causes the formation of all historical developments. He identifies alienation as the main cause of class inequality. The two class rivals in Marx's Manifesto are the bourgeoisie, or middle class, and the proletariat, or wage-laborers. According to Marx, the proletariat was alienated.

    Read More

  • Karl Marx on Estranged Labor

    1357 Words  | 3 Pages

    Marx explains the condition. of estranged labour as the result of man participating in an institution alien to his nature. It is my interpretation that man is alienated from his labour because he is not the reaper. of what he sows. Because he is never the recipient of his efforts, the labourer lacks identity with what he creates.

    Read More

  • A Critical Analysis Of Estranged Labor By Karl Marx

    955 Words  | 2 Pages

    Karl Marx’s article titled Estranged Labor as found in his 1844 Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts pays significant attention to the political economic system, which is commonly referred to capitalism. He further delves into nature of the political economy with a keen focus on how it has negatively impacted the worker or laborer. Therefore, the laborer forms the subject of his critical and detailed analysis as tries demonstrates the ill nature of the political economy. To start with Karl Marx portrays how the political economy as presented by its proponents has led to emergence of two distinct classes in society; the class of property owners and on the other hand, the class of property less workers. According to Karl Marx (2004), proponents of the political economy have introduced concepts such as private property and competition indicating without providing any form of analytical explanation but rather just expecting the society to embrace and apply such concepts. In particular, political economists have failed to provide a comprehensive explanation for division that has been established between capital and labor. Estranged Labor clearly depicts Marx’s dissatisfaction as well as disapproval towards the political economy indicating that proponents of such a system want the masses to blindly follow it without any form of intellectual or practical explanation. One area that Karl Marx demonstrates his distaste and disappointment in the article is worker or the laborer and how the worker sinks to not just a commodity but rather a wretched commodity (Marx, 2004). This is critical analysis of Karl Marx concept or phenomenon on the alienation of the worker as predicted in Estranged Labor in several aspects and how these concepts are ...

    Read More

  • Karl Marx: Philosophy, Politics, and Class Conflict

    826 Words  | 2 Pages

    Karl Marx was a German philosopher who studies at the university of berlin. He was a Hegelian. He was very active in the political scene, thus springing his desire to combined philosophy, political science and economics. Marx believes that we are the product of our environments but we also have the power to change our environment. He believed that human beings can shape the environment that we live in through our abilities. He also believes that philosophers should not only interoperate the world, but they should be able to change it (Citation). Marx believed that history is all based class conflicts. He uses the example of the Bourgeoisie and the Proletariat. The bourgeoisie is the oppressive class, they consist of the rich, upper class,

    Read More

  • Wage-Labor and Capital by Karl Marx

    679 Words  | 2 Pages

    The first type of alienation is from “product of labor”. This is where the worker is separated from their work. This is basically saying that the work that the worker is creating does not necessarily show their creativity. Marx wrote:

    Read More

  • Karl Marx and Estranged Labor

    532 Words  | 2 Pages

    Marx on page 327 of his essay estranged labor is describing what to him were

    Read More

  • Comparing The Concepts of Anomie and Alienation

    1049 Words  | 3 Pages

    individuals, society, or work. Some sociologists believe that alienation is inevitably produced not by the individual but by the shallowness and the lack of individuality in modern society. The concept of alienation has been held to account for behaviour patterns. as diverse as motiveless violence and total immobility. Alienation is a state in which the creations of humanity appear to humans as alien objects.

    Read More

  • Karl Marx And Durkheim

    2731 Words  | 6 Pages

    In closing, both Marx and Durkheim were extraordinary thinkers and theorist of their time. Both their theories have provided a better understanding of our society by examining our society and the crucial elements within it at a deeper level. Alienation then, is the breakdown of the interconnectedness in society imposed by the structure of society that is, to Marx an important part of life. Well, at least in an ideal sense. Anomie is defined as a state reached when society is marked by unchecked economic progress. Although Marx and Durkheim approached the issue of modern society in different analytic manner, there is one thing that is undisputed, it has greatly impacted sociology today and maintain a level of truth as well as value for the future.

    Read More

  • Rousseau's Theory Of Alienation

    1222 Words  | 3 Pages

    Marx’s theory of alienation describes the separation of things that naturally belong together. For Marx, alienation is experienced in four forms. These include alienation from ones self, alienation from the work process, alienation from the product and alienation from other people. Workers are alienated from themselves because they are forced to sell their labor for a wage. Workers are alienated from the process because they don’t own the means of production. Workers are alienated from the product because the product of labor belongs to the capitalists. Workers do not own what they produce. Workers are alienated from other people because in a capitalist economy workers see each other as competition for jobs. Thus for Marx, labor is simply a means to an end.

    Read More

  • Karl Marx's Comparison Of Human Nature And Modern Society

    994 Words  | 2 Pages

    anomie, alienation, and disenchantment. According to Durkheim, modern society conforms to human nature, but anomie remains a persistent problem or pathology. In Marx’s estimation, humanity is both alienated and on the brink of self-realization due to modern capitalism. Finally, in Weber’s, we are now completely disenchanted due to modern rationalization. Unlike Durkheim and Weber, Marx is capable of convincing prognosis of the “ modern condition.”

    Read More

  • Karl Marx - Capitalist Alienation

    649 Words  | 2 Pages

    Alienation, in Marxist terms, refers to the separation of the mass of wage workers from the products of their own labor. Marx first expressed the idea, somewhat poetically, in his 1844 Manuscripts: "The object that labor produces, its product, stands opposed to it as something alien, as a power independent of the producer."

    Read More

  • Workplace Alienation

    1181 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...nvironment. Ultimately, humans are creative, hardworking and productive beings. As we spend the majority of our day at work, we want it to be rewarding and fulfilling. In this theory of alienation, being a worker comes first and being a person comes second. Alienation makes people spend their lives working on things they hardly care about while they make money for someone else as they sacrifice their own interests and goals. Capitalism turns workers into machines and alienates them from their full potential. Workers are not content as they are unable to determine their own paths as they are at the mercy of their employers. Alienation produces boredom, stress, unhappiness, misery and low productivity.

    Read More

  • Karl Marx and Capitalism

    893 Words  | 2 Pages

    Karl Marx, in the Capital, developed his critique of capitalism by analyzing its characteristics and its development throughout history. The critique contains Marx’s most developed economic analysis and philosophical insight. Although it was written in 1850s, its values still serve an important purpose in the globalized world and maintains extremely relevant in the twenty-first century.

    Read More

  • Marx's Four Types Of Alienation

    124 Words  | 1 Pages

    Alienation can be described as a condition where a person becomes foreign to the world it lives in, or not feeling a part of a group or society (isolation). However, alienation can also be understood as a condition when the mind is isolated from its surroundings. According to Marx, alienation is “the process whereby the worker is made to feel foreign to the products of his/her own labor” (Marx), in other words; the lack of identity with the products of their labor and a sense of being controlled. Marx describes four types of alienation; alienation from the product of labor, alienation from the act of producing itself, alienation from his or her "essence as a species", and alienation of the worker from other workers.

    Read More

More about Karl Marx and Capitalist Alienation

Open Document