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Social changes during the industrial revolution
Comparison of Marx and Durkheim
Durkheim and marx comparison
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Recommended: Social changes during the industrial revolution
This essay will explore Marx’s theory of alienation and Durkheim’s theory of anomie. I will compare and contrast both theories and discuss which theory is more applicable to the discontent of the modern world. Marx believed that humanity had two factors, which were “increasing control of man over nature at the same time as it was a history of the increasing alienation of man,” (Bancroft). The idea of alienation was important in all of Marx’s work and gradually developed throughout time. Marx’s theory of alienation explores and describes the social alienation of a people from aspects of what he called “species-being,” which is the result of living in a community stratified by social classes. Our species-being should be familiar to us because …show more content…
This estrangement, or alienation, from your humanity occurs from being a mechanistic part of society. It appears and works together in different and institutions of life such as religion, the state, and the economy. The fundamentals of alienation, in the perspective of production in a capitalist society, states that a worker loses their ability to decide their own life and destiny, when their right be in charge of their own actions, establish and label relationship with others, and produce their own labor are deprived (Lowe). Instead of working on things they willingly chose to do, the activities they participate in is those determined by the bourgeoisie. The worker, as one aspect of the economy, is directed to goals of the bourgeoisie so that they can use the worker up to their full potential (Lowe). According to Marx, the bourgeoisie are the capitalist class who own most of society’s wealth and means of production, while the proletariats are the …show more content…
Both of these theories focus on an individual’s status in society and their relationship with the societal conditions they live in. Also, in both theories you can see a sense of isolation from a certain aspect of society or society as a whole. In Marx’s theory proletarians are alienated from people and work, while in Durkheim’s theory there is a lack of interaction with society resulting in isolation. Although there are some similarities, these theories have differences. In Marx’s theory of alienation the worker is forced to do something that results in their alienation, while in Durkheim’s theory the individual is the one who resists social ethics. Marx considered alienation to be a normal factor resulting in the oppressive nature of capitalism and stressed the economic and political influences on alienation. Durkheim considered anomie to result from a deviant form of labor in society and focused on the morality of a society and their consequences. I believe that Durkheim’s theory of anomie has a better explanation of the discontent experienced by people in the modern world, especially Durkheim’s kinds of
“It has to go”, cried his sister. “That’s the only answer, Father. You just have to try to get rid of the idea that it’s Gregor. Believing it for so long, that is our real misfortune. But how can it be Gregor? If it were Gregor, he would have realized long ago that it isn’t possible for human beings to live with such a creature, and would have gone away of his own free will” (Kafka 52). The relationship between family member’s in Kafka’s Metamorphosis is an interesting theme addressed, and somewhat distressing subject. Why is it so hard to accept that this monstrous bug is Gregor? Is it so bad for him to want to stay and be near his family- the only thing he’s ever had and known? For the sister to even come out and say these words seems somewhat selfish. Why can’t it be turned around to a viewpoint through which we have a family loving their son, unconditionally, regardless of what state he’s in? The word love is definitely one which is not seen in close companionship with the Gregor family. And we can see that this lack of affection carries on to be one of the driving forces behind the theme of alienation in the novel.
Karl Marx (1818-1883) and Émile Durkheim (1858-1917) were sociologists who both existed throughout similar time periods of the 19th and early 20th centuries, resulting in both Marx, and Durkheim to be concerned about similar effects and impacts among society (Appelrouth and Edles: 20, 77). Marx’s main focus was on class distinctions among the bourgeoisie and proletariat, forces and relations of production, capital, surplus value, alienation, labour theory of value, exploitation and class consciousness (Appelrouth and Edles: 20). Whereas Durkheim’s main focus was on social facts, social solidarity – mechanical solidarity and organic solidarity, anomie, collective conscience, ritual, symbol, and collective representations (Appelrouth and Edles: 77). For the purpose of this essay, we will be focusing on the concerns that arised among Karl Marx and Émile Durkheim towards the benefits and dangers of modern capitalism. Marx and Durkheim’s concepts are comparable in the sense that Marx focuses on alienation and classes, which is similar to Durkheim’s concepts of anomie and the division of labour. The beginning of the Industrial Revolution and technological advances can be seen as a key factor that gave emergence to modern capitalism, as the economic system was based on private ownership, mass production, and increased profits, resulting in people to be separated based on class and the division of labour, later giving rise to alienation and anomie. In this essay, I will explore Karl Marx’s and Émile Durkheim’s evaluation of the benefits and dangers that came about with the rise of modern capitalism. Through these two theorists and sociologists, we can analyze, discuss, compare, critique, and come to understand how modern cap...
Marx believed that society was beginning to break away from nature as a source of economical support. In the past, humans had relied heavily on agriculture to support themselves but with the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, new technology began to replace old farming techniques and created new factory jobs in cities. Marx had rather extreme views on the extent to which nature in his time had become humanized as a result of human labor.[1] He commented that, “ Even the objects of the simplest “ sensuous certainty” are only given him through social development, industry and commercial intercourse.”[2] "Throughout their labor, humans shape their own material environment, thereby transforming the very nature of human existence in the process.”[3]
this study on alienation there will be a micro-study which will attempt to ascertain Marx's
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 ...
Post-Modern American society is predominantly anomic. Explain why Durkheim would either agree or disagree with this statement. Give specific examples to back up your points. Durkheim introduced the term anomic, which is a breakdown of standards and values or from a lack of purpose or ideas. When a social system is in a state of anomie, the social structure (common values and common meanings) (Coser) are no longer in understandings or accepting, and new values and meanings are not developing (Coser).
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:
The different parts of anomie are the structural strain, status frustration, and institutional anomie. The structural strain is about the social struggles in social class and the boundaries set on those on working class, not giving the lower classes a chance to move upward in social structure to get to the middle/higher class. While status frustration Status frustration stems from a structural strain, because of the structural strain they become frustrated. With that frustration, individual become desperate and will be more likely to deviant acts to get their basic needs meet. Institutional anomie is when a situation when the social institution has lost their moral integrity and their legitimacy. Mertain and Durkheim's different main different views are that anomie is created from, structural boundaries and poverty crime. However, Derkiem does not focus on the middle class on acting out of deviance with Mertain looks at the society as a whole. When looking at anomie it is good to focus on all social classes instead of one to see where social structures or social norms are breaking down. durkheim looks more at a Macro type of looking instead of a micro which is looking at the individuals instead of the
Marx’s theory of alienation is concerned primarily with social interaction and production; he believes that we are able to overcome our alienation through human emancipation.
Both have a sensation of the inner-self boredom wanting more than what they already have and will. never seem satisfied with what they get. Both Durkheim and Marx have many valid ideas, and their perceptions. provide a detailed insight into the nature of Anomie and Alienation. However, their work shows that their arguments are not always regular.
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’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.
In the modern period a common topic used amongst the arts was alienation. The notion of feeling distant from others or an activity to which one should be part of or be involved in was reflected in many pieces during the modern period. Two pieces that were fascinating to me, because of the way they utilized alienation as a part of their visual and literary arts, were “The Scream,” by Edvard Munch and “The Metamorphosis,” by Franz Kafka. Munch and Kafka both used forms of formal elements to get the emotional crisis they felt through to the viewer.
THE TERM "alienation" in normal usage refers to a feeling of separateness, of being alone and apart from others. For Marx, alienation was not a feeling or a mental condition, but an economic and social condition of class society--in particular, capitalist society.
...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.