What are the main aspects of Marxs idea of alienation?

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• Unit VIII Social Institutions

  
  

• Instructor's Manual

  
  

• IM for Teaching Worker Alienation

  
  

• Theme: Social Institutions

  
  
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• Learning Goals

  To develop a pool of concrete work experiences which exemplify Marx’s conception of alienation and the social organization that produces it.

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• Materials Needed Back to top

  
  

• Estimated Time

  Can be done in one class period.

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• Procedures

  Each class member is asked to relate his/her worst work experience (almost everyone has had some summer or part-time employment).  If people have never had “bad” jobs, I ask them to tell about their best ones.  As we go, I list those factors which seem recurrent.  The most useful themes, which almost always emerge with no coaching, include: monotony/variety, responsibility or lack of it, quality of peer relationships, and behavior of superordinates.  In addition, there are always a number of graphic, funny, horrific, or otherwise memorable anecdotes in the average class.  These and the themes that emerge from the collective experiences are then tied to Marx’s conception of alienation.  The four dimensions of alienation identified by Marx are alienation from: (1) the product of labor, (2) the process of labor, (3) others, and (4) self.  Class experiences usually fit easily into these categories.  The culmination of this phase of discussion requires a picture of what Marx thinks people and work should be like in order to understand the full human cost of alienation.  This requires a discussion of “species-being” or Marx’s assumption of what constitutes whole personhood.  Special emphasis, of course, goes to the central role of work.  Marx believed that people naturally wanted to work, it wasn't something they did because they had to. It was necessary for a full life.  Here, students with good work experiences are relied on in discussing the possible intrinsic satisfactions of work. The final and sometimes hardest phase of discussion centers on alienation as a social structural problem.  Students have a tendency to identify it as a psychological one, arguing that a “positive attitude” would eliminate alienation.  From this I proceed to a broader consideration of job organization, societal organization, and culture.  For instance, I point out meanings given to the words “work” and “play.”  Why is it that something enjoyable can be defined as “work” only with difficulty.  Often there are examples of the definitional irony in student accounts of work. 

  Leading Questions

  How do you feel about the thing you worked on or produced (auto parts, french fries)? How did you feel about the people who used the things or services you helped provide?  Were you in direct contact with them?  Did you ever trick them or insult them or feel like doing it? Did you ever feel like a machine or part of a machine?  Did others treat you like one? How long did it take you to learn your job?  How much skill did the job take? Did you or those around you have any standards of doing the job “right” as opposed to “any old way?” Was it possible to take pride in your work? How did it feel to be doing something that required little of your talent? Did you ever try to disrupt, stop, or sabotage the work process? Did the people who did this job year-round get along well with those who were only there for the summer? How did you relate to your boss?  Was he/she easier to relate to or to like off the job? How did your boss relate to his/her boss, if there was one? Can you imagine spending your life without developing any further skill than that required by this job?

  If the job was boring, what did you do about it?  Did you play games in your head?

Birth of Alienation Theory

Developed by Karl Marx, the Theory of Alienation or ‘Entfremdung’ posits that capitalism has distorted the human relations that are not controlled by the participants themselves. This, in turn, leads to separation of things that belong to each other naturally, which then results in antagonism in things that are in order.

cristina bernazzani/dollar photo club

What is Entfremdung?

Entfremdung refers to the social alienation of people from their human nature due to the result of living in a stratified society. This was presented in Marx’s the Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844 (1927). Its philosophical roots lie in by Ludwig Feuerbach’s ‘The Essence of Christianity’ (1841) which argues that that the concept of ‘God’ has separated the human being from its natural characteristics. In ‘The Ego and its Own’ (1845), Max Stirner extends Feuerbach’s theory to include ‘humanity’ as an alienating concept whereas Marx and Engels debate in these philosophies in the book ‘The German Ideology’ (1845)

The Conclusion Drawn From The Debate

Within the capitalist mode of production, the individual loses his control over his work. He loses his ability to think, to determine his destiny, to define his relations with others and to own things of value. Ultimately workers lose the liberty to think for themselves and to make their own decisions since they have no control over their work. They do not own the goods that they produce nor do they have the freedom to produce what they want. Thus, the individual becomes animal-like in his thought as he loses his ability to think. His goals are directed towards activities that are owned and dictated by the bourgeoisie.

Types of Alienation as Per Karl Marx

1. Product of Labour

The individual is alienated from the products that he manufactures because he does not own it himself. It is owned and disposed by the bourgeoisie. Thus, he cannot own the things that he produces. He is paid minimum wages and the returns of his labour are significantly low. This leads to exploitation of the worker.

2. Act of Producing

Workers do not have control over the process of production. The work conditions and organization is all determined by the bourgeoisie without taking in the consideration of the individual. The division of labour further aggravates this alienation.

3. As a Producer

From himself as a Producer otherwise called as ‘Gattungswesen’ (species-essence)
According to Marx, the ability to consciously shape things around us is what makes one human. However, capitalism takes away ‘Gattungswesen’ or the essence of being human. The individual’s labour is forced and coerced.

The kind of work that the individual is made to do has no correlation with his interests or passion. The wealth that is created by the worker is owned by the bourgeoisie, driven by profit maximization. This leads to the strengthening of classes in society which hinders the individual’s ability to determine his actions.

4. From Other Workers

Under capitalism, the worker is seen as an entity which can be used and traded to maximize production and profits. Workers are entrenched in the world of cut-throat competition to get the maximum wages possible from the bourgeoisie, who in turn tries to get the maximum labour from the worker. This alienation also arises inevitable from the class structure and division in society.

Conclusion

Marx’s Theory of Alienation is not spared from criticisms. Critiques argue that today’s free market allows people to hold shares in private institutions. This means that the profits belong to the shareholders and not just a single person. Entrepreneurship allows one to pursue their interests by providing ample opportunities. In terms of intellectual labour, many middle-men employ their skills in work that they like and participate in other extracurricular activities that they enjoy.