Karl Marx's Theory Of Alienation: An Interpretation And Critical Evaluation

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Karl Marx’s Theory of Alienation: An Interpretation and Critical Evaluation

Karl Marx is one of the most influential socialists, economists, and philosophers to emerge in the 19th century. His work was largely ignored by the scholars of his lifetime, yet has gained rapid acceptance since his death in 1883. One of his greatest works includes the Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of 1844 which introduces his central concepts of alienation labor. In this essay I will provide an interpretation of what I understand Marx’s account of alienated labor to be well as a critical evaluation of the material he provides.

Personal Interpretation Karl Marx wrote his theory of alienated labor during the industrial revolution. He witnessed the unjust …show more content…

Under capitalism, the proletariat relates to their labor as a strange object and lack any sort of identification with it. They invest their lives into objects and no longer own their own labor. The worker becomes more alienated the more he or she produces. The worker shrinks in comparison to this world of objects that he or she helps create but can not possess and habitually loses the power to determine life and destiny. They can not think of themselves as the directors of their own actions, are under control of the bourgeoisie, and treated as a …show more content…

The worker comes to believe that the maintenance of individual existence is thus the single and solitary goal of their life activity.” He believes that if a worker works only for the wage then he deprives himself of purpose in life. In turn, he implies that labor is the only way to affirm one’s purpose in life. Life is about the mindset each person carries. It is possible that one could work a job simply for the wage. However, that does not to mean that they have to lack self-actualization. One could be working a job that they don’t completely enjoy but realize they have found purpose in providing for their family. To be able to provide for their family and create happiness within them, is all it takes for some. The means of production in a capitalist economy does not inevitably lead to alienation. Others may work a job solely for the wage but find purpose in non-economic activities. For example, people could find their purpose in the church, playing a sport, tutoring children, and more. Your job doesn’t have to define your meaning in

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