Marx

Marx

• Intro: Karl Marx is best known not as a philosopher but as a revolutionary,

whose works inspired the foundation of many communist regimes in the
twentieth century.

• Inspired by-

Ricardo
Hegel

Louis blanc

Laws of Labour theory talked about

dialectics. of value by bringing
ricardo that socialism
Gave says value of through
dialectical a good is revolutionary
idealism- proportional to means
ideas are the how much
moving force labor was
behind required to
historical produce it.
processes.
History moves
in the from of
dialectics of
ideas to reach
a stage of
absolute idea
in which all
contradictoins
are resolved.

• Hegel
developed
three laws
of
dialectics:
1. Unity of
opposite
s- for
every
idea
their is
counter
idea and
they
both
exist
together
2. Negation
of
negation:
the
lower
truth will
 be
negated
and
higher
truth will
be left.
3. Quantity
changes
into
quality

Marx
criticised
hegel: he is
standing on
his head.

• His ideas-
◦ He criticised Adam smith due to his laissez faire theory in
his book “ critic of political economy” saying it leads to
only a few accumulating all the wealth.
◦ Says violence is the midwife of change and even child
birth is not without bloodshed.
◦ Calls his socialism as scientific, praxis( action oriented
theory).
◦ Marx socialsim was to establish communism.
◦ workers of the world unite, you have nothing to lose but
your chains.
◦ Philosophers have only interpreted the world, what matters
is to change it. - marx
◦ in order to think, one has to eat and in order to eat, man has
to rpoduce. thus production is the first historical act of man
rather than thinking. Hence demonstrating that manual
labour is superior to mental labour since production comes
prior to thinking
◦ for marx society is a division of labour. Basic reason why
man forms society is for production. Hence economy is the
basic structure of the society.
◦ base and superstructure model:
◦ Base represents economic relations b/w class and the
socio-political institutions like family,school constitute the
superstructure.
◦ Super structure is the reflection of basic structure and as
base changes so does superstructure.
◦ the class which controls the basic structure(means of
prodn) controls the instituions of super structure.
◦ Hegel says state represents universal altruism. but for marx
State represents class institution which works as instrument
of coercion by bourgeoisie class. Workers cannot expect
justice from such a state.
◦ haves: those who own the means of production and have
nots
◦ religion and nationalism are false consciousness. Workers
must look at their material condition only then will they
develop revolutionary consciousness
◦ For him true freedom was freedom from basic necessities
and in communism state takes care of your basic
necessities (from each according to his work to each
according to his need). No private property so no search for
profit so no competition so no accumulation of resources.
◦
 Thomas piketty in his book “capital and ideology” writes-
human societies have always been unequal. all unequal
societies, to be sustainable, need a justification of this
inequality. This justification is what Piketty terms “ideology”.
◦ Young Marx(neo marxists, Frankfurt school of marxism) and
mature Marx( das capital and communist manifesto)
◦ For him capitalism carries with itself the seed of its own
decay. In capitalism everyone looks at each other as a
competitor and not fellow human. Capitalism creates
contradiction b/w man and society. To remain competitive
capitalists pay less to workers. Towards end small
 capitalists get driven out of market and join the ranks of
proletariat. Ultimately middle class disappears and there
remains huge gap in society . Their harships will keep
increasing. This relative deprivation will further increase
their consciousness. State of inequality is a state of
disequilibrium and the nature is bound to move towards
equbm. The more the workers works, the more the profit so
more is the bargaining power of the capitalists. Hence
worker’s labour is causing his own demise.
◦ Historical Materialism: also called materialistic interpretation
of history. For marx , The force that moved history was not
ideas, but the relation between men in the process of
production. And this relation repeats in various epochs
◦ Dialectical materialsim—> conflict b/w classes due to
material conditions and history moves
◦ Dialectical idealism—> conflict b/w ideas and history moves(
end of history Francis Fuku)
◦ Level of consciousness
i. Class in itself
ii. Class for itself : when workers truely realise their
economic condition, and hence they cant be further
exploited.
• History of all hitherto societies is the history of class
struggle.
• change in history takes place when change in relations of
prodn take place
1. Pre historic
a. no pvt property
b. primitive communism
c. no class struggle so no state needed
2. Slave society
a. master and slave
b. since class exist so class struggle exists and hence state
needed to protect the masters
3. Feudal stage- lords and serfs
4. Capitalism- capitalists and workers
5. Socialism( dictatorship of proletariat)
a. stage immediately after revolution
b. workers(exploiters) and capitalists(exploited)
c. so state exists but controlled by workers
6. Communism( end of history)
a. pvt property abolished
b. no class and hence no class struggle
c. end of history
d. state of perfect freedom due to state of perfect equality

• For young marx man is by nature creative and social

• Four levels of alienation

1. Alienation from process of production

2. Alienation from product
 3. From society
4. From oneself - cumulative result of above three.
5. capitalism destroys human essence and hence communism
becomes a necessity.

• Marx's critics:
◦ Has been criticised as economic reductionist as he has

reduced a complex phenomenon of history on single factor

and says economy has and will determine all changes that
will happen ( determinist).
Non marxists:
1:

Karl popper calls marx as reductionist and determinist and his

theory as unscientific as it is not open to falsification. Acc to
popper, scientific theories are possible only in open societies
like democracy and not communist societies that are closed.
Says Marx has committed the guilt of historicism

2:

Max Weber- monocausal explaination of history

By marxists:
1:
Gramsci- Marx underestimated role of superstructure specially
of culture.

2:
Althusser- calls economic reductionism. Gives multi structural
approach(base structure influenced by many factors) to
understand history hence called structural Marxist.
Gave concept of interpellation.

3: Michael focoult

Says Marx emphasises on relations of production but forgets

relations of power. People may derive power from concept of
patriarchy/heteronormativity. Power for focoult can come from
various sources entirely unrealted to economic class.

• Conclusion: That Marx still looms so large in our present

world is indeed the measure of his greatness."-Hannah Arendt