Karl Marx Theory Of Alienation

Karl Marx was one of the founding fathers of sociology. His theory revolved around the contemporary problems with capitalism and whom it works for and whom it does not. Marx sought answers to the question that had risen to evaluate how a capitalist society works. When in college he joined a group called Young Hegelians. A group that criticized the economy and cultural foundations of the day. Which began Marx ideas came from the ideas of Hegel and learned the way of thinking about the world and the surrounding fluidity complexity, which is referred to dialectics.

Marx study of capitalism was mainly philosophical that was both dialectical and materialistic. With dialectics interactions and changes are more focuses and emphasized on and viewed

‘Focusing on capitalism and wage workers’ “estranged labour,” Marx broke with Hegels “ abstract” emphasis on consciousness and equation of objectification with alienation(Ritzer 2000:96) In the profound theory of alienation Marx continued to answer questions of the development of capitalism. He found that workers in a capitalist society do not possess the raw materials machines or factories in which they work with, but are owned by the capitalists in which the labours have to sell their ability to work in return of a wage. This arrangement of work shows four relations that lie at the centre of Marx 's theory of alienation 1, the worker is cut off or alienated from their productivity and not having any say in deciding what to do or actions to approach the productive activity that is given by the capitalist whom sets the conditions and speed that the labourer should be completing and having complete control the decision if the worker can work or not. Marx saw this as the ‘unequal relation between persons.’ (Ritzer 2000:101) 2, workers are alienated from the product meaning they have no control to how the product is being handled once it has left their station the labour is not free or enjoyable. ‘Marx saw all social life as bearing the imprints of material conditions’ (Ritzer 2002:107) 3, workers are alienated from others and their natural environment. In this alienated type of work place, workers are not only indifferent but are continually in competition which replaces forms of cooperation, everyone tries to survive as best they can. Like the capitalist who controls the workers productivity while maximising their own profits for only their benefit as capitalists are in competition of what they sell and not in the interest of the workers.4 lastly the worker is alienated from their each individual creativity and we