Outline and Examine Marx’s Concept of Alienation Essay Example
Outline and examine Marx’s concept of alienation
Karl Marx (1818 – 1883) was a historian, philosopher and social scientist whose theories and beliefs went unnoticed when he was alive. It was after his death that people realized that he was one of the most significant social thinkers of the 19th Century. (Kreis, S. 2000)
Marx focused greatly on economic problems and linked these concerns to social problems, which resulted in great sociological outcomes. (Giddens, 2001, p11) An example of this is when Marx looked into capitalism in the work place, and realized this led people into feeling alienated from others and the world around them. Hegel first used the term ‘alienation’ in the 1800’s and used it to describe “the struggle of self realisation” and the isolation from the spiritual world. (Morrison, 2006, p116) Although these were the first steps to the famous theory of alienation, Karl Marx seen it quite differently and suggested we become alienated because of historical materialism.
This essay shall discuss the change from a feudal society to a capitalist society, and how this change resulted in a horrible, alienated environment for the working class. It shall examine how capitalism came about, its disadvantages, and the result it had on civilisation.
Marx believed it was important to know and understand how societies’ economic structures worked in order to identify how their work can change. He came up with the idea of ‘historical materialism’ which suggested that social change is the outcome of economic persuasion, and not by human’s ideas or values. Marx once said, “All human history thus far is the history of class struggles” which explains the incentive for attempting to improve on the class conflicts that have happened in the past. (Giddens, 2001, p12) Social change can be recognised by changing from one mode of production to another, and is a result of conflicts in economic societies. Modern societies eventually made the change
Karl Marx (1818 – 1883) was a historian, philosopher and social scientist whose theories and beliefs went unnoticed when he was alive. It was after his death that people realized that he was one of the most significant social thinkers of the 19th Century. (Kreis, S. 2000)
Marx focused greatly on economic problems and linked these concerns to social problems, which resulted in great sociological outcomes. (Giddens, 2001, p11) An example of this is when Marx looked into capitalism in the work place, and realized this led people into feeling alienated from others and the world around them. Hegel first used the term ‘alienation’ in the 1800’s and used it to describe “the struggle of self realisation” and the isolation from the spiritual world. (Morrison, 2006, p116) Although these were the first steps to the famous theory of alienation, Karl Marx seen it quite differently and suggested we become alienated because of historical materialism.
This essay shall discuss the change from a feudal society to a capitalist society, and how this change resulted in a horrible, alienated environment for the working class. It shall examine how capitalism came about, its disadvantages, and the result it had on civilisation.
Marx believed it was important to know and understand how societies’ economic structures worked in order to identify how their work can change. He came up with the idea of ‘historical materialism’ which suggested that social change is the outcome of economic persuasion, and not by human’s ideas or values. Marx once said, “All human history thus far is the history of class struggles” which explains the incentive for attempting to improve on the class conflicts that have happened in the past. (Giddens, 2001, p12) Social change can be recognised by changing from one mode of production to another, and is a result of conflicts in economic societies. Modern societies eventually made the change