Marx Flashcards
(8 cards)
How does Marx critique Hegel’s idealism?
Marx critiques Hegel’s idealist philosophy, which places consciousness and ideas as the primary drivers of reality.
Marx argues that it’s the other way around:
- material conditions are the starting points. Human consciousness arises from and is shaped by the material world—both as we find it and as we transform it through our labor.
Life is not determined by consciousness, consciousness is determined by life.
What does Marx mean by humans as “self-producing animals,”?
Marx views humans as productive beings who shape the world through labor.
Labor is not just for survival; it is how humans express themselves and create meaning. Humans consciously and collectively transform nature (into culture), creating the conditions of their existence.
How does Marx explain the division of labor, and what are its consequences?
The division of labor refers to the specialization of tasks
- between agriculture (country) and industry (town)
- between manual labor (material) and intellectual work (mental).
Marx’s Historical materialism shows that as production changes in complexity and scale, so do human relationships and class structures.
What role do the means of production play in society?
The private ownership of the means of production (e.g., land, factories, tools) is central to capitalism.
The bourgeoisie owns these means, enabling them to exploit the proletariat (working class), who must sell their labor to survive.
This system concentrates wealth and power in the hands of a few and creates inequality, with the majority dependent on wages for their livelihood.
How does Marx define ideology, and what role does it play in society?
Ideology is a system of ideas that reflects and justifies the material interests of the ruling class.
The idea that there is a separate realm of spirit is an idea that can be dangerous, it servers the interest of the capitalists / ruling class.
The class that owns the means of productions also owns the means of mental production.
What is alienation in Marx’s critique of capitalism, and how does it manifest itself?
Alienation is the estrangement of workers under capitalism, experienced in four ways:
The Product of Labor: Workers do not own what they produce; it becomes property of the capitalist.
The Act of Production: Labor is reduced to a means for wages, stripping it of creativity or fulfillment.
Other People: Social relationships are reduced to economic transactions, fostering competition over cooperation.
Species-Being: Workers are alienated from their human essence as creative, self-producing beings because their labor is commodified.
How does Marx propose to resolve the problems of capitalism?
communismas the solution to the problems of capitalism and alienation.
- Means of production are collectively owned
- resources are distributed based on need, not profit
Communism abolishes class divisions, enabling individuals to reach their potential and engage in meaningful, unalienated labor.
Marx views communism as a historical development arising from capitalism’s contradictions, leading to its eventual collapse.
How does Marx’s historical materialism explain the relationship between material conditions and societal change?
Historical materialism asserts that the economic base (means and relations of production) shapes the superstructure (culture, politics, ideology).
As production methods evolve, so do human relationships and social structures.
This process drives history and creates the conditions for revolutionary change, as contradictions in the economic base lead to new social orders.
