...complex—Manuscripts is described often as the hardest sixty pages of modern philosophy—their main points can be summed up concisely. For Marx, a worker’s labor, and therefore product, is an extension of himself, and any practice that separates the two, most obviously capitalism’s private property, essentially tears the man apart. A system such as this is beyond repair, and the only feasible solution is a forceful and complete communist revolution ending in the destruction of private property and the reunion of mankind with his labor. The complex philosophizing behind these two doctrines will be revealed shortly, but now the question arises, are they consistent? More specifically, do the circumstances that exist under capitalism, as described in his critique, put the world in a realistic position to undergo his desired revolution? Taking his opinions of the world under capitalism as fact, the answer is yes: the desperation of alienation will drive the growing majority of men to unite and revolt. That said, a thorough examination of both his critique of capitalism and his planned communist revolution are necessary. Marx begins his discussion of life under capitalism by defining the term “estranged labor.” In essence, estranged labor is a separation between a worker and his product. This can come as a result of a division of labor, the institution of machines in factories, or the rise in importance of money,...
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...of 1844, Karl Marx makes a strong argument for communism as a means for human kind to realize its true nature and essence. In short: communism is what is “right” for mankind, through the annulment of private property, as the genuine resolution of conflict between man and nature, and between man and man. Under the existing socioeconomic structure, our natural urges and desires are despised as we are forced to conform to a set means of living in order to financially be sustainable. Through this capitalist process, we are forced to reject our own bodies as the frailties of flesh. According to Marx, this...
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...following social scientists until today with his theories is one of those thinkers. In this paper, I’ll analyze Marx’s social theory, relations of production, social classes and the structures of capitalist society. Hegelian dialectic approach was the key figure for Marx while he was building the social theory....
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...Korson Marxism: For and Against Marxism is essentially a critique of Capitalism. In order to understand Marxism, one needs to evaluate the history of Marxism. Heilbroner described Marxism as being “inescapable” (Heilbroner, 15). Marxism is credited with the contribution for uncovering an unsuspected level of reality beneath the surface of capitalism. His mode of inquiry for uncovering the hidden reality of capitalism is through his own invented process of socioanalysis. Because of Marx’s legacy of revealing the reality of capitalism, Heilbroner compares him to Freud and Plato, all whose works are inescapable for the truths they have unveiled. Freud and Plato both unveiled hidden realities. Marx shared a further similarity in the sense that his “combination of insight and method permanently altered the manner in which reality would thereafter be perceived” (Heilbroner, 17). Marx’s works in his book Capital is still more relevant today than Adam Smith’s renowned work Wealth of Nations. Marx‘s book placed importance on technology and crises and social tension, and more importantly, undertakes the task of critiquing the political economy. However, the problem of Marxism is within trying to define it. Heilbroner believes that there exists a set of premises that can assist in defining Marxist thought, “so that any analysis that contains these premises can be properly classified as Marxist” (Heilbroner, 20). There are four main premises as described by Heilbroner; the dialectical...
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...1. How does inductive logical thought differ from deductive logical thought? How can a researcher benefit from using both kinds of thinking? Inductive and deductive reasoning are two methods of logic used to arrive at a conclusion based on information assumed to be true. Deductive reasoning arrives at a specific conclusion based on generalizations. Inductive reasoning takes events and makes generalizations. Inductive reasoning is essentially the opposite of deductive reasoning. It involves trying to create general principles by starting with many specific instancesInductive reasoning progresses from observations of individual cases to the development of a generality. Both are used in research to establish hypotheses. Induction is usually described as moving from the specific to the general, while deduction begins with the general and ends with the specific; arguments based on experience or observation are best expressed inductively, while arguments based on laws, rules, or other widely accepted principles are best expressed deductively. Chapter 2 Page 48-49 2. Human nature is the development of culture. Explain how human beings came to the only creatures to make use of culture as strategy for survival. Provide one specific example. On the psychological side, meaning is to make sense of the ideas, experiences, feelings, and images that persade our lives. On the social side, meaning is to be sensible about the external forms we use to make our internal creations...
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...Lutheran, rather than a Catholic, which was the predominant faith in Trier, because he “equated Protestantism with intellectual freedom.” When he was 6, Karl was baptized along with the other children, but his mother waited until 1825, after her father died. Marx was an average student. He was educated at home until he was 12 and spent five years, from 1830 to 1835, at the Jesuit high school in Trier, at that time known as the Friedrich-Wilhelm Gymnasium. The school’s principal, a friend of Marx’s father, was a liberal and a Kantian and was respected by the people of Rhineland but suspect to authorities. The school was under surveillance and was raided in 1832. Education In October of 1835, Marx began studying at the University of Bonn. It had a lively and rebellious culture, and Marx enthusiastically took part in student life. In his two semesters there, he was imprisoned for drunkenness and disturbing the peace, incurred debts and participated in a duel. At the end of the year, Marx’s father insisted he enroll in the more serious University of Berlin. In Berlin, he studied law and philosophy and was introduced to the philosophy of G.W.F. Hegel, who had been a professor at Berlin until his death in 1831. Marx was not initially enamored with Hegel, but he soon became involved with the...
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...A comparison between Adam Smith and Karl Marx The purpose of this essay is to evaluate and discuss how economists Adam Smith and Karl Marx contributed to current management practices and, more specifically, how they influenced the field of economics. Through critical analysis, we will explore the theories of Adam Smith and Karl Marx. Adam Smith’s contributions, from division of labor and the shift from a mercantile society to a capitalistic one as proposed in his “Wealth of nations report,” will be critically evaluated as to determine both their relevance today and the influence that they have had. Similarly, Karl Marx’s theories that helped to develop the economy in its most prosperous time will be critically evaluated to determine their influence and relevancy today. Although very distant in their theories and time, both men have played key roles in the development of economics, while in turn influencing current management practices. Both men were able to change and introduce new philosophies while reacting to the circumstances of their times, while creating legacies through their works that are still relevant in today’s vastly different circumstances and society. Adam Smith Scottish economist Adam Smith, born in 1723, is responsible for the initial development of economics in the eighteenth century and provided the framework for how we approach economic issues today. Smith was an “advocate for a free market society where international trade through both imports...
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...2/23/13 Western Civilization II Karl Marx, author of The Communist Manifesto, explains the power conflict between the Bourgeois and the Proletariat. This piece of literature portrays the way that social classes and a division of labor truly categorized an era. Karl Marx integrates the struggle of equality of the Proletariat and categorizes them as being similar to Communists, both groups aiming to fight off the control of the Bourgeoisie. As industrialization takes a major turn, Karl Marx helps explain why certain social classes were being taken advantage of. From the beginning of his piece Marx explains the role of the Bourgeoisie. This group dominated most of the society, and created a tougher life for those below it. Marx’s states, “We see, therefore, how the modern bourgeoisie is itself the product of a long course of development, of a series of revolutions in the modes of production and of exchange”. Here we see a prime example of Marx defining how the Bourgeoisie was able to run and operate this society. Marx explains that whether the field was industry, exchange or trade, the Bourgeoisie still has an upper hand. It is interesting to notice how Marx’s clearly states how the Bourgeoisie has a distinct advantage on Proletariats but yet Marx looks down upon this same group simultaneously. It is evident that society is created in this manner to benefit those with more money and power but communism is still prevalent and should over power the class struggle. ...
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...THE FAMILY The Consanguine Family (The First Stage of the Family) The Punaluan Family The Pairing Family The Monogamous Family The Iroquois Gens The Greek Gens [The Rise of Private Property] The Rise of the Athenian State The Gens and the State in Rome The Gens Among Celts and Germans The Formation of the State Among the Germans Barbarism and Civilization Appendix: A Recently Discovered Case of Group Marriage INTRODUCTION After Marx’s death, in rumaging through Marx’s manuscripts, Engels came upon Marx’s precis of Ancient Society – a book by progressive US scholar Lewis Henry Morgan and published in London 1877. The precis was written between 1880-81 and contained Marx’s numerous remarks on Morgan as well as passages from other sources. After reading the precis, Engels set out to write a special treatise – which he saw as fulfilling Marx’s will. Working on the book, he used Marx’s precis, and some of Morgan’s factual material and conclusions. He also made use of many and diverse data gleaned in his own studies of the history of Greece, Rome, Old Ireland, and the Ancient Germans. It would, of course, become The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State – the first edition of which was published October 1884 in Hottingen-Zurich. Engels wrote The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State in just two months – beginning toward the end of March 1884 and completing it by the end of May. It focuses on early human history, following...
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...Self-preservation Hobbes believed that self-preservation was everyone's fundamental natural instinct. He believed it was essential to ground political philosophy on this basic principle. “Among so many dangers therefore, as the natural lusts of men do daily threaten each other a, to have a care of oneself is not a matter so scornfully to be looked upon, as if so be there had not been a power and will left in one to have done otherwise. For every man is wishful of what is good for him, and despise what is evil, but chiefly the prime of natural evils, which is death; and this he doth, by a certain impulsion of nature, no less than that whereby a stone moves downward. It is therefore neither absurd, nor reprehensible; neither against the dictates of true reason for a man to use all his endeavors to preserve and defend his body, and the members thereof from death and sorrows; but that which is not contrary to right reason, that all men account to be done justly, and with right. Neither by the word Right is anything else signified, than that liberty which every man hath to make use of his natural faculties according to right reason. Therefore the first foundation of natural Right is this, that every man as much as in him lies endeavor to protect his life and members” But because it is in vain for a man to have a right to the end, if the right to the necessary means denied him; it follows, that since every man has a right to preserve himself, he must also be allowed a right to use all the means...
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...Abdulkadir Öncel Suleyman Sah University Sociology ALIENATION AND ANOMIE Throughout the history many sociologists tried to analyze society and societal relations, also sociologists have still continued to study society and its problems. In the some problems, sociologists studied in minority individuals’ issue with small groups then they generalized the solution or analyzes for the majority who lives in same conditions. Because even you study society, you would need individualistic framework to understanding disharmony and problems of folk in daily life. Also it is impossible to study with all people in society. Because of that you should understand that what disturbs person? You could not understand whether being harmony or happiness between people with continuity of production or maintaining work of daily life. Therefore, sociologists anatomize into social action and relationship between all people. But primarily you should know the human nature and its structures and its needing. Each analyzes would be lacking without involving human factors whereupon also Karl Marx and Emile Durkheim first of all examined people, their structures, their desires and their connections with the nature. Then they tried to understand society with this way and put in the picture at the back of events. Not only relationship people and nature but also relationship between people is important for Marx and Durkheim who interested in people’s station in society and they searched answer for some questions...
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...alienate the labor force, “from the work process, the product, and other people” (Allan 2014:71-72). Marx did not develop these theories, he only built on Adam Smith’s...
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...Explain at least four of the ways in which More tries to reduce the work load for individuals in Utopia. What did he want Utopians to do in their spare time? Is More’s attitude about labor the same as Marx’s? Why or why not? When comparing Utopia by Sir Thomas More and The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, it is clearly noticeable that both take on different extremes while discussing common issues. For instance, Thomas More believes that idleness is unnecessary and that the workload shouldn’t be as burdensome, therefore he finds a way to lessen the workload by lessening the work hours for each day, creating gender specific occupations, emphasizing the importance of reason and intellectual exploration, and lastly through strategic punishment. Karl Marx on the other hand, believes that division of labor leads to the alienation of mankind. Both Utopia and The Communist Manifesto provide insight on a whirlwind of different beliefs all to come to the conclusion that the working class should not suffer. In Utopia people are not forced to work for unreasonable hours each day. The Utopian day is broken into twenty-four hours; Utopians only work for six hours per day (three before lunch and three after). Utopians also sleep on average about eight hours a day. This leaves them with a great deal of free time, which they are free to do with as they will, as long as they do not spend it in idleness. Most people use their free time to engage in intellectual...
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...Rousseau and Marx have contrasting views on private property. Throughout this essay I will go in-depth at both theorists’ critique of private property individually, and as a whole. Having been written 150 years ago, both Rousseau’s Discourse on Inequality and Marx’s Communist Manneifsto ideas of private property still remain relevant till this day. Marx has a very aggressive view of property. Marx believes that private property divides society into two groups the Bourgeoisie and the Proletariat. The bourgeoisie are the people who have all the land. Where the Proletariat are known to have no property (means of production), and who are the people who apply labor to the land. According to Marx the division between these two groups in society has been going on since the beginning of history, and is extremely important to realize that history has dictated how people are grouped into these societies. “In bourgeois society…. the past dominates the present; in...
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...same as that seen the next. Some of it is constantly being evaporated and drawn up, to return as rain. From year to year these changes may be scarcely perceptible. But one day, when the banks are thoroughly weakened and the rains long and heavy, the river floods, bursts its banks, and may take a new course. This represents the dialectical part of Marx’s famous theory of dialectical (or historical) materialism." Historical materialism is a methodological approach to the study of society, economics, and history first articulated by Karl Marx (1818–1883) as the materialist conception of history. It is a theory of socioeconomic development according to which changes in material conditions (technology and productive capacity) are the primary influence on how society and the economy are organised. Historical materialism looks for the causes of developments and changes in human society in the means by which humans collectively produce the necessities of life. Social classes and the relationship between them, plus the political structures and ways of thinking in society, are founded on and reflect contemporary economic activity. Since Marx's time, the theory has been modified and expanded by thousands of Marxist thinkers. It now has many Marxist and non-Marxist variants. Objectives of Study: • To define Historical Materialism. • To discuss about the basic philosophy behind the concept of historical Materialism by Karl Marx. • To study about the Recent Versions of Historical...
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