Outline and discuss Marxs theory of Alienation Essay

Outline and Discuss Marx’s Theory of Alienation Karl Marx’s Theory of Alienation is the assertion that through Capitalist industrial practices, the worker will experience a series of feelings of disconnection from integral parts of the labour process and ultimately, from humanity itself. I will argue that this theory will be relevant as long as the reign of Capitalism dominates modern society. Marx advocates that the only way alienation can be alleviated is through the destruction of the current economic base which he predicts is an inevitable gravitation towards a classless, stateless society known as socialism. In order to fully grasp Marx’s theory, we must first delve into two accounts of alienation from Hegel and Feurbach.†¦show more content†¦He chose to look to the structure of society to pinpoint what breeds a need for a controlling force over us and wanted to know why other forms of alienation from the human condition occurred and how they did so. We must address Marx’s idea of humanity in or der to understand what exactly it is that we are being separated from. He rejects the idea of a Cartesian Dualistic view of consciousness in favour of that which pertains to materialism. Consciousness itself must be materialised through communicative devices such as language and art and it is this ability to communicate in a concrete fashion devoid of instinctual forces that is one of the features of humanity that distinguishes us from animals. (Allen, K. 2011 p. 56). Humans are unique creatures in that we are hugely influenced by our surroundings; both physical and social and our ability to manipulate these surroundings arise from learned social interactions rather than instinct. Our genetically constructed physicality such as our manual dexterity skill allow us to learn how to build tools which can be used to shape our environment; our agency to renovate nature makes us social beings and in order to exchange ideas on how to do so, we must communicate via socialisation. Therefore, according to Marx, for us to be considered fully human, we must actively participate in changing the world around us, butShow MoreRelatedWhat Does Marx Mean by Alienation? Do You Find His Account Convincing?1466 Words   |  6 PagesWhat does Marx mean by alienation? Do you find his account convincing? To begin with I am going to take the definition of alienation from Microsofts Encarta (http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary), to give a basic outline of alienation and then I will discuss Marxs alienation and then later on in the investigation I will see how similar Marxs application of alienation is. Encarta defines alienation as, 1. estrangement: the process of causing somebody to become unfriendly, unsympatheticRead MorePolitical Economy: Roles of Ideas and Interests2305 Words   |  10 PagesThis essay aims to examine the roles of ideas and interests in the political econ-omy by mainly drawing on theories developed by Karl Marx and Max Weber. The two authors have very different views on the drivers of historical development, the establishment of capitalism and the structure of modern society. Marx’s no-tion of historical materialism emphasizes the role of material interest in con-structing the boundaries and structure of the political economy. Max Weber’s notion of the Protestant EthicRead MoreOrganisational Theory230255 Words   |  922 Pages. Organization Theory Challenges and Perspectives John McAuley, Joanne Duberley and Phil Johnson . This book is, to my knowledge, the most comprehensive and reliable guide to organisational theory currently available. What is needed is a text that will give a good idea of the breadth and complexity of this important subject, and this is precisely what McAuley, Duberley and Johnson have provided. They have done some sterling service in bringing together the very diverse strands of workRead MoreRastafarian79520 Words   |  319 Pagesorganizational structures (whether rational-legal or traditional) is the only indicator of the routinization of new movements. In contrast, this interpretive study unequivocally asserts the routinization of the movement. Of course the use of Webers theory of routinization is somewhat problematic, because Rastafari lacks the institutional structures that Weber posits as the evidence of routinization. However, I am afï ¬ rming that, even without these structures, Rastafari has carved out a niche for itself