Marx’s Alienation Theory, Essay Example

Introduction

Marx’s alienation theory first appears in the Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts (1944). While some authors conclude that this ideology is founded in the previous writings of Hegel (Thompson, 1979), and the influence is clearly traceable. When using the expressions borrowed from the The Essence of Christianity (Feuerbach, 1941), the source of philosophy is evident. The writing of Feuerbach is a clear criticism of Hegel. When the estranged labor first appears as the tool to criticize capitalism, it becomes a powerful instrument in the hands of Karl Marx.

What is Alienation?

Alienation is a process produced by capitalism. Marx’s theory concludes that the capitalist exploitation of workers results in the denial of their humanity and the loss of the connection between them and their work. As capitalists are the owners of production tools; such as materials, technology and investment, they treat workers as just another tool. Labor in capitalism, according to Marx (1944) is not more than a resource that can be obtained cheap and disposed of when no longer needed. This is the main source of Marx’s criticism of capitalism. The source of workers’ misery is their separation from their product.

The Relationship between Alienation and Capitalism

The source of alienation lies in the laws of capitalism. As markets and demands determine production, and price of the product is influenced by the competition, the main purpose of the capitalist is to obtain everything needed for production – including labor – as cheaply as possible. As capitalists are looking at profits as the first and foremost benefits of production and industry, they will always try to pay the lowest possible wages and support the alienation of workers. This results in the workers’ disadvantaged position, in which they lose their rights to creative and purposeful activities. According to Marx, being able to have purposeful and creative activities is the determinant of humans, and this also means that workers lose some of their human nature.

It is also important to note that while Hegel does not clearly state that alienation is the result of modern society, Marx creates a logical link between capitalism and alienation. He proposes objectification of the socialist society as a solution, which would still allow human beings to develop as individuals. (Rockmore, 2008. p. 62.)

The Four Forms of Alienation

Marx – just like Hegel – distinguishes four different forms of alienation. These are all defined as the results of capitalism, but in different levels:

– alienation of the worker from the product physically

– alienation of the product and the worker’s self-development (non-physical)

– alienation from human being (production tool instead of the full accomplishment of species-life)

– alienation from human life – estranged man effect of Marx

The first type of alienation is described by Marx as the workers’ inability to “confirm themselves in the work”. They usually see the labor as a misery, as they do not choose it freely. “All these consequences are implied in the statement that the worker is related to the product of his labor as to an alien object.” (Marx, 1944)

The result of their labor (on a physical level) also belongs to somebody else. This is an important statement in relation to the description of capitalism in general. Criticizing the practices of employers and claiming that labor is not a “productive activity” is the second type of alienation. Going as far as claiming that individual workers lose their “species- being (number three) and connection with other members of the society (number four) are harder to prove and confirm without a strong negative argument against capitalism.

One of the most important parts of the writings is “The Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Right” (1943) which was also highlighting the issues of modern societies, providing an ideological basis for the fourth type of alienation: losing connection with other members of the society.

Is it Possible to Overcome Alienation?

While Marx takes the main ideas mostly from Feuerbach (1941), he finds a completely different way of overcoming alienation than the earlier author. While Feuerbach states that recognizing one’s human essence is possible through talking about God, Marx – surprisingly not completely contradicting him – states that workers have the “responsibility” to reclaim their human self and powers. This can be done through education of the masses, while in the following writings of Marx the connection between the power to reclaim human self and education is not clearly highlighted.

According to Marx, the solution to alienation is not spiritual but material. Political economy had to be changed and the “class of the future” had to be created to abolish classes and the superiority of bourgeois. Therefore, the only way to “overcome alienation” is the transformation of capitalism into socialism. This way workers will be able to own and have control on production, make decisions on organization and resources, build real democracy in the society and gain knowledge to be used for the good of the whole society.

The reconstruction of the society is the only way to overcome alienation, according to Marx. He follows the concept of man when creating the concept of socialism. According to him, the aim of the whole economic system is the liberation of humans. He also states: “communism as such is not the aim of human development.” (Marx, 1944) There are different liberating aspects of production quoted by Marx; such as: the production becomes un-alienated, the worker controls the production, resulting in political and economic democracy. According to this theory, the worker becomes liberated and is able to stand on his feet. Furthermore, the human development of his self, fulfillment and complete freedom would be the result. According to Marx, (1944), alienation does not only result in economic but spiritual poverty as well. Fulfillment is needed for human beings to recognize their essence of self.

In the ideology of socialism, religion does not have a place, either, as it is also alienated and is not designed to serve human’s needs. He does not fight religion; he fights the idol that acts like a bourgeois trying to control human beings’ actions. (Fromm, 1961)

Conclusion

While alienation has been the subject of many philosophers before Marx, it is important to note that he was the author who managed to successfully draw a logical relation between the political and economical system and alienation with success. His ideas about bourgeois being the source of alienation and capitalism being the one to blame for one’s loss of self might be far-fetched for today’s thinkers, however, the powerful and logical writings of the Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts (1944) are still the foundation of modern philosophy.

References:

Rockmore, T. (2008) Marx After Marxism: The Philosophy of Karl Marx. John Wiley & Sons

Fromm, E. (1951) Marx’s Concept Of Socialism

Marx, K. (1944) Economic & Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844. Progress Publishers, Moscow 1959

Thompson, L. (1979) The Development of Marx’s Concept of Alienation: An Introduction. MidAmerican Review of Sociology, 1979, Vol. IV, No. 1:23-38

Feuerbach, L. (1941) The Essence of Christianity.