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Adolf Marx : A Central Concern For The Young Karl Marx Essay

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“Alienation‟ was a central concern for the young Karl Marx. Discuss the dimensions of this alienation in connection to Marx’s critique of capitalist society and comment on the contemporary relevance of this concept. Karl Marx is a critically renowned, prolific and revolutionary figure amongst historic academia and is considered to be one of the three founding fathers of Sociology. Working throughout the 19th century Marx’s work included the theory of ‘alienation’. Born in Germany, young Marx was raised amidst the French revolution (1830) and was witness to the likings of the revolutionary workers’ movement in England (1832). Marx began to study law in 1835 where he promptly joined the ‘Young Hegelian’ movement, which strove to challenge the societal establishments of the time. Marx’s personal study focused on Hegel’s philosophy in 1837, and he graduated with a Doctoral degree of philosophy in 1841; from then on, Marx became a bold journalist and copious theorist challenging the everyday. Hegel’s influence stuck with Marx throughout his career, both in support and critique, Marx replaced Hegels idealism with naturalism, hence the birth of Marx’s ‘historical materialism’ (Wood 1981: 29). Marx took Hegels theories and suggested that rather than understanding ideas, we should strive to understand history. Through Hegel’s theories, Marx learnt of the natural inclination humans have towards the activity and production of goods, and the intrinsic importance of producing.

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