Karl Marx Lecture 1

Week 2 Aug 14, 2007

General information of Karl Marx (1818-1883)

Karl Marx, the founder of Marxism which has been captured many communist counties like China, Vietnams to embrace wholly into their social and political regime. Communism also has become a political ideology in ruling party.

Marx’s main concern: social inequality, social classes, and political ideology.

He was influence by German philosopher Hegal.

1. Idealist- a way to understand the world. Hegal thinks that Reality only exists in one’s idea; what appears to humans is not the world itself but one’s idea of it.


2. Empiricism / materialism- Reality may be reduced to physical properties; our ideas of the world are simple reflections. Structured by innate physical properties of the universe.

Hegel’s Philosophy of History

Social world composed of ideas, concept of “world/absolute spirit”, focused on dialectic of ideas and how the processes manifest itself in history. History obeys certain dialectic logic to reveal an idea “Freedom”. That is one way to interpret the evolves of human history.

The Dialectic Process

Thesis generated its own anti thesis;
Synthesis of above two develops then soon new antithesis appears
New Synthesis develops again, new antithesis appears again....

The thesis to explain the society and social development combine the both theories synthesis. As synthesis moving on, the anti-thesis may come up again. Social movement, reach certain point will generate its own anti-thesis. Dialectical is the movement of ideas through the time. By observing historical pattern, unfold with individuals and more pawns in its developments, Hegel assumed historical development would end up with an eternal Prussian State as such a final synthesis.

That is remnant of the ideas in Marx’s work, like communism.

Interpretation of Hegel’s work:

• Right wings: accept Prussian State as an embodiment of world spirit and reason.


• Left wings (young Hegelian) regarded present situation as not perfect yet.

Ludwig Feuerbach (1804-1872)

• He was an enthusiastic follower of Hegel and one of leaders of young Hegelians in 1840.


• Later became critical of Hegelian, Idealism and religion, especially Christianity.


• He thinks Gods created by man, were themselves idealized creations of human being. He believed that any progress in human culture and civilization required the repudiation of religions.

Key Influence of Marx’s work
o German Philosophy –Hegel, criticism of Hegel, critical of religion
o French socialism
o English political economy

Friedrich Engels (1820-1895)

• A capitalist himself, from Manchester of English, owned mill and manufactories


• Wrote “conditions of the working class” 1840


• Lift time collaboration and supporter to Marx


• Integrated all the intellectual traditions which Marx was concerned with.

Key Concepts of Marx

• Mixed feeling about religion. On one hand, he said the religion is an illusion, much more than clear thought is need to abolish it. On the other hand, he said religion is “heart of a heartless world”


• Young Hegelian critique: The young Hegelian focus on convincing people of the strength of the logical argument; as long as people were poor, ignorant and therefore need help, religion would constantly reproduce itself.


• He inverted Hegelian dialectic, which ignored real individuals and real conditions. Marx located the dialectic in the material world, especially material social relationships.


• o His conception of human nature – species being, unique feature of human being is that we created our world, while animals live in symbiotic relationship from all others.


• Human being, self-consciousness as species distinct from all other:


• Human must create a world in which to live: ability to change the environment in creative fashion in order to produce the necessity of life.


• Human products act as a mirror through which humans can come to see their own states


• Objectification- a process of human creative working by using nature resources to give self consciousness and self-awareness.


• Social relation being created when we exchange the things we produce with one another; human being as species also survive collectively and individually because of society.

The Communist Manifesto (1849) a political pamphlet

Key concept:

1. Bourgeoisie: owners of capital in capitalist societies


2. Proletariat: property less labors who live by selling their labor power to capitalists in exchange for wages. Condition of employment: exploitation, in creating value increase the wealth and power of the bourgeoisie against their own interest. (Exploited and oppressed), class struggle will lead capitalist society dissolve. Marx had tried to locate the social tension in capital society.


3. Relations of production. Economic and social relations between producers and non producers in the course of economic production


4. Force of production and means of products. Like raw materials, tools, technology


5. Model of production. A particular combination of a set of relations of production and forces of production

Organizing economic production:

Primitive communism, Feudalism, Capitalism
Capitalist has constant pressure for technology advancement, which leads to change of force of production then leads to relations of production and work structure, then relation of citizen and leaders.

Marx’s approach

Human nature- creativity production, self awareness, exchange of creativity productions to build up social relation

Critical social theories, a critical exercise in exposing the faults of society.
Concerning issues of such as emancipation, regaining creative capacity, well being.

The notion of material dialectic-
Economic structure moves history
Thinking from a historical perspective.