Karl Marx and Capitalist Alienation Essay -- Alienation Marxism Marxis

The concept of madness plays a significant map in Marxs early political writing, especially in the Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of 1848, but it is seldom mentioned in his later works. This implies that while Marx found alienation serviceable in investigating certain basic aspects of the development of capitalist confederacy, it is less useful in targetting forward the predictions of the collapse of capitalism. The aim of this essay is to explicate alienation, and show how it fits into the pattern of Marxs thought. It will be concluded that alienation is a useful gibe in explaining the affect of capitalism on hu piece of music existence. In Marxs 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 takes his idea of alienation from Feuerbach, who shows the alienation of art object from God. Briefly, Feuerbachs controversy is that God is created by gentlemans gentleman as the projection of mans species-essence, the totality of his powers and attributes raised to the level of infinity (1). Religion alienates man by reversing the relationship between the subject and predicate - the deity is supreme over man, even though it is created by man. Leszek Kolakowski suggests that the clearest material example of religious alienation is blood sacrifice. In general, therefore, alienation of man is the process that separates man from part of himself. In Feuerbach, the separation is between man and the god created in mans image. In Marx, as shall be seen, alienation is the separation between man and his life-activity, his product, society and the species. Each of these four relations can be seen as one aspect of man being separated from himself.... ...(rather than local) being. (13) Thus, although alienation take into accounts an understanding of the problems of capitalism, it does not provide a means of escaping it.1. L. Kolakowsk i, Main Currents of Marxism, pp 115.2. L. Kolakowski, Main Currents of Marxism, pp 115.3. B. Ollman, Alienation, pp 133. 4. S. Avineri, Karl Marx Social and Political Thought. 5. This point is also put forward by Herbert Marcuse. 6. L. Kolakowski, Main Currents of Marxism. 7. K. Marx, Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts. 8. B. Ollman, Alienation, pp131. 9. G. A. Cohen, Karl Marxs hypothesis of History A defence. 10. H. Marcuse, Reason and Revolution. 11. K. Marx, Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts. 12. B. Ollman, Alienation, pp138. 13. Spiritual in the sense of gentle fulfilment in work, rather than any religious sense. 14. K. Marx, The German Ideology, pp56. Karl Marx and Capitalist Alienation Essay -- Alienation Marxism MarxisThe concept of alienation plays a significant role in Marxs 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 Marxs thought. It will be concluded that alienation is a useful tool in explaining the affect of capitalism on human existence. In Marxs 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 takes his idea of alienation from Feuerbach, who shows the alienation of man from God. Briefly, Feuerbachs argument is that God is created by man as the projection of mans species-essence, the totality of his powers and attributes raised to the level of infinity (1). Religion alienates man by reversing the relationship between the subject and predicate - the Deity is supreme over man, even though it is creat ed by man. Leszek Kolakowski suggests that the clearest material example of religious alienation is blood sacrifice. In general, therefore, alienation of man is the process that separates man from part of himself. In Feuerbach, the separation is between man and the god created in mans image. In Marx, as shall be seen, alienation is the separation between man and his life-activity, his product, society and the species. Each of these four relations can be seen as one aspect of man being separated from himself.... ...(rather than local) being. (13) Thus, although alienation provides an understanding of the problems of capitalism, it does not provide a means of escaping it.1. L. Kolakowski, Main Currents of Marxism, pp 115.2. L. Kolakowski, Main Currents of Marxism, pp 115.3. B. Ollman, Alienation, pp 133. 4. S. Avineri, Karl Marx Social and Political Thought. 5. This point is also put forward by Herbert Marcuse. 6. L. Kolakowski, Main Currents of Marxism. 7. K. Marx, Economic and Phil osophical Manuscripts. 8. B. Ollman, Alienation, pp131. 9. G. A. Cohen, Karl Marxs Theory of History A defence. 10. H. Marcuse, Reason and Revolution. 11. K. Marx, Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts. 12. B. Ollman, Alienation, pp138. 13. Spiritual in the sense of human fulfilment in work, rather than any religious sense. 14. K. Marx, The German Ideology, pp56.