Outline and discuss Marx's theory of Alienation Essay

Topic: One of the essential elements to Marx’s alienation concept is that of people or workers being alienated from each other under capitalism, it is still relevant in explaining the problems of the modern world.

Karl Marx, a prominent sociologist during the mid 1800’s, is a German philosopher commonly known for changing the landscape of capitalism, economics, politics, anthropology, sociology, and even philosophy. His writings explored people’s relationship with their work and the alienation they experience as a result of industrialization. The theory of alienation has similar commonalities and differences to Du Bois's concept of double consciousness, described as the feeling as though your identity is divided into several parts, making it hard to identify oneself.

As human beings, one of the most fundamental aspects of our existence, according to philosopher Karl Marx, is the act of work. More specifically, it is the idea that work fulfills human being’s essence. Work, for Marx, is a great source of joy, but only when the worker can see themselves in the work they do, and when said worker wants to partake in the work they are performing. In the capitalist identity, workers are “a class of labourers, who live only so long as they find work, and who find work only so long as their labour increases capital” (Marx and Engel, 1946, pg. 116). Labourers were simply described as “a commodity” (Marx and Engel, 1946, pg. 117) by the ruling class; they are but pieces of a large, intricate gear system, all for the profit of those above them. In this, the worker loses touch with their essence. This concept is referred to, more or less, as alienation. Alienation is a form of separation of how one sees themselves, and how one sees themselves in what they do. Alienation, in many ways, relates to the idea of false consciousness. False consciousness, for Marx, revolves around the idea of misleading society; It is an ideological way of thinking in which no true perception of the world can be achieved. Both alienation and false consciousness delve into the notion of what constitutes true reality. Alienation describes how those that are controlled by the ruling class are subject to a form of disconnect, and false consciousness is a hierarchal idea in

Karl Marx is undeniably one of the most influential philosophical thinkers that emerged in the 19th century. His ideas were ignored during his time, however they’ve gained wide recognition in the years after his death and are still widely called upon today during many philosophical, social, and economic debates. Amongst his famous theories is his ideas on the morality of Capitalism as well as Socialism. However, a theory of his that reigns supreme in many different aspects of modern day society as well as the past is his theory of alienation. Marx’s feels that modern means of production under certain conditions could cause the collapse of the worker. They would ultimately loose control of their life as a result of losing control of their work. The four major works analyzed in class all seem to have a revolving major theme of alienation in some aspect that cripples man’s ability to be a productive and effective being in society. Candide by Voltaire, The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Frederick Engels, The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements by Eric Hoffer, and The Colonizer and the Colonized by Albert Memmi all, in some way, effectively show the coupling theme of man’s alienation from society that reverts him to certain circumstances and in turn creates tension amongst the alienated man and the major portion of society that doesn’t endure alienation.

Marx and Engels believed that the economy during the Industrial Revolution created a mechanical system in which people came to be alienated from the reality of being a human being. They argue that because society is putting in all of its effort to compete with each other so that production becomes a competition, people lose their sense of living, the sense of themselve, their “species being.” In the Communist Manifesto, they argue, “The bourgeoisie cannot exist without constantly revolutionising the instruments of

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.

Marx highlights the way in which concepts, as perceived by the bourgeoisie as a class are made into a law for all, a will whose essential character and direction are determined by the economic conditions of (bourgeoisie) existence. For Marx, similarly, the humanity of the worker is defined in the terms of the bourgeoisie, but for the worker it is not humanity at all. This speaks to the first type of alienation according to Marx, alienation from the notion of humanity. The bourgeois notion of proletarian humanity, as Marx sees it, is best expressed in the Communist Manifesto, when Marx explains that, under Capitalism, the living person is dependent and has no individuality.

Both concepts of alienation and anomie signify how individualism has impacted the social structures through industrialization and the division of labour. Both Marx and Durkheim’s theories emphasize the relationships between people in society and how this impacts on separateness and individualism within it; however, both theories are different. Where Marx is concerned he focuses on being alienated as a result of materialized matter through the bourgeoisie alienating oneself from culture, for Durkheim anomie is due to the lack of a collective conscience within society preventing both regulation and integration of culture; for Durkheim this negatively impacts on social solidarity and cohesion.

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

In the third place, man is alienated from other men through the competitive character of the economic

I would like to develop a better understanding of my team, improve communication skills, achieve a better other esteem, receive a college degree and become a Plant Manager. Philip Hwang specified that “Caring for others can be rewarding in itself; in addition, others are likely to reciprocate in positive ways when we demonstrate concern for them”, (as cited in I Never Knew I Had a Choice (10th edition, p.5). I would like to develop a better other-esteem. I feel my team knows that I care for them

The readings about Karl Marx during these past weeks have been very interesting. Through the reading I have been able to see how Marx sees, analyses, and discusses about society. Marx is able to do this by allowing us to see through his perspective, experiences, and the history that he has learned throughout the years. Many concepts have come up in the reading but the ones that have stood out to me are alienation, exploitation, and class structure.

1. Describe how Marx’s concepts of alienation and exploitation are present in the documentary. Who is subjected to this alienation and exploitation? How does this take place in the film? Does resistance to this take place? If so, how? Draw on the readings and lectures, while also providing specific examples from the film.

In this seminar, I seek to analyse, discuss and evaluate the theories of Marx. Firstly, I will analyse the relationship between human action and social structure. Having completed the analysis, I will move on further to discuss and exemplify his theory of alienation. Lastly I will evaluate his theory of false consciousness.

Alienation has been widely reported in the area of work by Karl Marx on the example of a