The Development of Karl Marxs Critique - 2116 Words

1. Marx’s work, for the unfamiliar, has been usually reduced to The Communist Manifesto and/or to some abridged versions of Capital. This, of course, makes impossible a serious analysis of his work. A great deal of Marx’s contribution is not only outside his most popular books, but in the evolution of his though, in his intellectual path, in the dialog between his ideas. In paying attention to that, we are giving Marx his real importance. In this sense, it is crucial to describe and understand the context and the process which led to the development of Marx’s ideas, both in his earlier texts and in the later ones. In discussing and comparing the critique of philosophy given in texts like ‘Towards a Critique of Hegels Philosophy of†¦show more content†¦For Althusser, at this point â€Å"a new theoretical consciousness is already beginning to show through (†¦)† ; which, as we said before, can be seen in Capital and the other economic texts. 2.2. Epistemological break and the Critique of political economy This new consciousness was the beginning of the Epistemological Break in Marx. This concept (taken from Bachelard), is defined as the detachment from a pre-scientific view of the phenomena of study and the leap into a more complex and scientific view. Althusser applied this concept to divide Marx’s work basically in two parts: his ideological period and his scientific period, as he called them. That transition in Marx’s thought is the main reason for the differences that exist between the critique of philosophy (ideological period) and the critique of political economy (scientific period). And even if one does not agree with the dates in which Althusser situates this break, or even with how he defined it, is a useful notion to compare the early and later ideas in Marx. According to Balibar, many are the reasons for this rupture. Among them are the social ones, like the direct encounter of Marx with the French and German proletariat and his involvement in the social struggles of the time; and theShow MoreRelatedKarl Marx and Capitalism Essay880 Words   |  4 PagesKarl Marx, in the Capital, developed his critique of capitalism by analyzing its characteristics and its development throughout history. The critique contains Marx’s most developed economic analysis and philosophical insight. Although it was written in 1850s, its values still serve an important purpose in the globalized world and maintains extremely relevant in the twenty-first century. Karl Marx’s critique of political economy provides a scientific understanding of the history of capitalism.Read MoreMarxs Claim on Religion: Explanation, Analysis, and Problem1088 Words   |  4 PagesMarxs Claim on Religion: In the past few years, Karl Marx has been increasingly incorporated in general sociology though his ideas are briefly mentioned or totally ignored in certain specialties in the sociological field. One of the major sociological specialties where Marxs ideas have been briefly mentioned is the sociology of religion. The sociology of religion only consists of few references to Marxs concepts and views though he accorded much significance to religion. Regardless of the minimalRead MoreThe Communist Manifesto And Das Kapital1151 Words   |  5 PagesKarl Marx was a philosopher, economist, socialist, and journalist in the 18th century. He is most famous for his books the Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital. Among his theories he discussed ideas involving the economy, politics, and social relations. Some of his most important phrases most central to Marx’s thinking were alienation, freedom, surplus value, and social relations of production. The new ideas he presented regarding polit ics and economics, his critiques of other theories and politicalRead MoreThe Contribution Of Karl Marx Essay1337 Words   |  6 PagesThis essay considers the contribution of Karl Marx to the study of sociology, throughout this essay I will be discussing what Marxism is, how Marxism has affected today’s society as well as academics that did not agree with Marx’s theories. Marxism is the social and economic system based on the theories of Karl Marx and Freidrich Engels. Karl Marx was born in Trier, Germany in 1818, Marx studied law and Berlin University but later changed to philosophy until finally perusing his interest in journalismRead MoreVisions Of Reforms And Reformation1488 Words   |  6 PagesAidan Garfield Professor Lee POLS 1002 26 March 2017 Visions of Reforms and Reformation Compare and contrast Wollstonecraft’s and Marx’s thoughts on the following questions. (a) What does progress consist in? (b) How does progress occur? (c) Where is progress headed? Mary Wollstonecraft and Karl Marx both viewed progress as overcoming an reclaiming a true sense of humanity, but defined that humanity, the means of achieving that humanity, and their general worldview in different ways. WollstonecraftRead MoreAdolf Marx : A Central Concern For The Young Karl Marx Essay1729 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"Alienation‟ was a central concern for the young Karl Marx. Discuss the dimensions of this alienation in connection to Marx’s critique of capitalist society and comment on the contemporary relevance of this concept. Karl Marx is a critically renowned, prolific and revolutionary figure amongst historic academia and is considered to be one of the three founding fathers of Sociology. Working throughout the 19th century Marx’s work included the theory of ‘alienation’. Born in Germany, young Marx wasRead MoreWhy Marx s Social Theory Place So Much Emphasis On Class Conflict And The Economic Aspects Of Society? Essay1524 Words   |  7 PagesWhy does Marx s social theory place so much emphasis on class conflict and the economic aspects of society? Karl Marx is one of the most influential and revolutionary philosopher, economist and sociologist of the 19th century. His thoughts not only shaped our understandings of the capitalistic world but also created a new system of social organization, communism. His ideology also defined the key political figures of the cold war period such as Stalin, Mao and Castro. Without MarxRead MoreKarl Marx And The Great Philosopher Essay988 Words   |  4 PagesKarl Marx was born in Trier, Prussia in 1818 to a Jewish family, but despite his baptism at age 6, he later became an atheist. Marx attended University of Bonn, but due to his imprisonment for drunkenness and variances with another student, he was enrolled in the University of Berlin by his parents. Marx earned his degree in philosophy and began writing for Rheinische Zeitung, a liberal democratic newspaper. He later became their editor. Marx was a member of Young Hegelian movement which was groupRead MoreThe Theory Of Human Rights895 Words   |  4 Pagesutilitarians like Jeremy Bentham. Karl Marx has the most convincing and believable case against the implementation of human rights in society because he finds them to have an intimate linkage with strict capitalistic society, which is the primary foundation of some of the biggest societies today, like the United States, The Background of Karl Marx Before we can really understand the marxist view, we need to understand what era Karl Marx was writing in. Marx’s critique mostly comes from the era of theRead MoreAssessing Merits and Limitations of the Ideas of Karl Marx Essay1594 Words   |  7 PagesAssessing Merits and Limitations of the Ideas of Karl Marx Marxism, or scientific socialism as it is also known, became particularly popular during the 1970s as the realisation that functionalism was flawed became apparent, as it regarded stratification as a divisive rather than an integrative structure. It takes its name from the founder Karl Marx (1818-1883), and centres around the grand theory that Capitalist society creates class inequalities and alienation, which