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    (Redirected from Marxist Theory)


    This page is about Marxist philosophy. For Political Marxism, see the Polcompball Page


    "Communism is not for us a state of affairs to be established, an ideal to which reality must conform. What we call communism is a real movement to abolish the existing condition. The conditions of this movement arise from existing premises."

    – Karl Marx

    Orthodox Marxism or just Marxism is a term for the philosophical theories of Karl Marx advocating for the overthrow of capitalism, by the proletariat. It views history, as being driven by class struggle. He believes that after the overthrow of capitalism, there will be a period of control by the dictatorship of the proletariat, before communism, a classless, stateless, moneyless society.

    Philosophical Beliefs[edit | edit source]

    Dialectical Materialism[edit | edit source]

    Dialectical Materialism is a theory created by Marx to study the universe. It was inspired by both french Materialism, and German dialects. Dialectical Materialism studies the contradictions in society, contradiction being the unity of opposites, an example being the contradiction of captialism of socialised labour, but privitased appropation of that labour. However Dialectical Materialism, differs form the dialectics of Hegel, which is idealistic, while Dialectical Materialism holds that the universe is made of matter, and driven by such.

    Historical Materialism[edit | edit source]

    Historical Materialism is a method of analyzing and interpreting history based on the material conditions and economic relationships that exist within a society. According to the theory, the driving force behind historical change is the development of the productive forces, which refers to the combination of technology, resources, and human labor available to a society. The productive forces determine the material conditions of society, such as the means of production (tools, machinery, land) and the relations of production (ownership and control of these means).

    Historical materialism argues that the way in which the means of production are owned and controlled gives rise to different social classes. These classes have conflicting interests and engage in class struggle, which shapes the course of history. For example, feudalism emerged when the means of production were controlled by feudal lords, who exploited serfs. Capitalism, on the other hand, emerged when the bourgeoisie (capitalist class) gained control of the means of production and exploited the proletariat (working class). As societies evolve, historical materialism suggests that contradictions within the existing social order become intensified, leading to social revolution. This revolution brings about a new mode of production and a new social order. For Marx, the ultimate goal of historical development was the establishment of communism, a classless society where the means of production are collectively owned and everyone's needs are met.

    Social Alienation[edit | edit source]

    Alienation is a concept associated with Marx's work, highlighting a problematic separation between a subject and an object that belong together. It involves social ills where individuals or groups are separated from entities that should be connected. The theories of alienation identify specific separations as important, explain why they are problematic, and offer insights into the extent and prognosis of alienation. Marx's ideas on alienation were influenced by Feuerbach's critique of religion, which argued that worshiping God diverted humans from realizing their own powers and led to separation from their "species essence." Marx saw religion as a response to alienation in material life and believed it would wither away once human material life was emancipated.

    Alienation in work was a major focus for Marx, who identified four dimensions of alienated labor in capitalist society: separation from the product, from the productive activity, from others, and from one's own human nature. Marx saw work as a potential source of creativity and fulfillment, rejecting the view that work is a necessary evil. He considered self-realization through work as essential to human flourishing. Marx believed that alienation flowed from capitalist social relations rather than technological advances and criticized the separation-based liberal rights of political emancipation, which hindered genuine human emancipation and the formation of meaningful community. While many questions remain about Marx's account of alienation, it is clear that it is intricately connected to his ideas of human nature, labor, and the need for meaningful relationships.

    Commodity Fetishism[edit | edit source]

    Commodity fetishism is a concept introduced by Karl Marx to explain how social relationships among people are distorted in the context of production and exchange. It refers to the tendency to perceive economic value as inherent to commodities rather than recognizing it as arising from the labor and human relations involved in their production. Marx argued that in the marketplace, social relations among individuals are represented as relationships among objects, obscuring the underlying social dynamics. He likened commodity fetishism to religious worship, where products of human creation take on a life of their own and appear as autonomous entities with inherent value. The theory of commodity fetishism originated from Marx's exploration of religious superstition and the beliefs of political economists. He used the concept to critique the reification of economic abstractions and to highlight the need for a deeper understanding of the social relations inherent in the production and exchange of goods.

    Political Beliefs[edit | edit source]

    The Proletariat and The Bourgeoisie[edit | edit source]

    The Proletariat and the Bourgeoisie, were terms marx used to describe classes in captialism. The Bourgeoisie, are the people who own the Means of production, Land, Labour or capital used to make products, and the proletariat, people who sell their labour power to the Bourgeoisie to make a profit. They own no means of production. Marx believed that the contradiction between the Bourgeoisie and the proletariat, would evauntually lead to the fall of captialism, where the proletariat would overthrow the capitalist class, and estalish a peroid of a dicatorship of the proletariat. This dicatorship would not be the conventional kind of one man controlling everything, but where the workers control society and the MOP.

    Anti-Liberalism[edit | edit source]

    Marxism’s critique of liberalism, differes from the reactionary critique of liberalism. Marx’s critique of liberalism, Boil down to the fact that he thought of it as idealistic, focusing on big ideas and values, and that it supported capitalism, and uses its idealism to Justify it. Marxism, unlike reactionaryism, doesn't dislike Liberalism because they want to move back from it, but rather they want to move forward from. However, Marxism is positive about early radical liberals of the 18th century, seeing them as progressive forces.

    Commodity[edit | edit source]

    Marx defines a commodity as an external object that satisfies human needs and possesses use-value. In an exchange, commodities are traded based on their equal value. Commodity exchange involves two types of value: use-value and exchange-value. Use-value refers to the usefulness of a commodity to the receiver, while exchange-value relates to its value in the exchange process. The value of a commodity is determined by the labor invested in its production. In capitalism, labor is treated as a commodity. The capitalist buys the labor power of workers, and they produce commodities. The capitalist is primarily concerned with the exchange-value of the produced commodities, as they aim to sell them for profit.

    Surplus-Value[edit | edit source]

    The capitalist's main focus lies in generating surplus-value rather than the use-value or exchange-value of commodities. Surplus-value is created when the value of commodities exceeds what is necessary to meet human needs. This surplus translates into profit, which is reinvested to produce even larger surpluses. While a surplus may lead to the fulfillment of more human needs, this is not the primary concern of capital. Its sole objective is the continuous accumulation of profit and capital growth.

    Marx identifies these laws of the capitalist system as the root cause of its most significant injustices. Capital is indifferent to human needs and disregards human suffering. The atrocities of industrialization stemmed not primarily from the cruelty of individual capitalists but from the amoral pursuit of profit. Marx believed that the only solution to this problem was the overthrow of the capitalist mode of production and its replacement with a socialist system that prioritizes meeting human needs over profit-seeking.

    Capital[edit | edit source]

    Capital serves as the fundamental tool of capitalist production, with money playing a crucial role in its functioning. Money is generated through the sale of commodities and is then used to acquire more commodities. These newly acquired commodities are subsequently sold at a profit. According to Marx, the circulation of money as capital is an end in itself, as the increase in value occurs solely within this continuous cycle. The movement of capital knows no bounds, perpetuating the process indefinitely.

    The objective of capital is to amass more capital through a process known as capital accumulation. Commodities hold value for capital only if their sale yields a profit. Furthermore, capital accumulation can be intensified through practices such as lending money at interest or investing in the stock market, which offer even more direct avenues for generating profits.

    Modes of Production[edit | edit source]

    The mode of production refers to the dominant structure of production within a society, encompassing both the means of production and the relationships that exist in the production process. The means of production include technological advancements, tools, raw materials, and available labor. Meanwhile, the relations of production determine individuals' roles and positions in the production process. In a capitalist society, capitalists own the factories, tools, and resources, and they employ laborers who are paid wages while the capitalists retain the majority of the profits.

    The mode of production is not only an economic system but also a social system, shaping the overall structure of a society. Marx emphasizes that the mode of production is not a fixed or inherent characteristic but is contingent on historical development. He identified capitalism as the most recent mode of production, succeeding feudalism. Feudalism involved predominantly agricultural production on land owned by aristocrats, who demanded labor and loyalty from peasants. In return, peasants were granted the right to survive and the protection of their feudal lords. Although Marx's analysis of feudalism is abstract, it illustrates the reciprocal relationship between the mode of production and the societal framework.

    Class Struggle[edit | edit source]

    The prevailing mode of production in a society gives rise to distinct social classes based on their positions in the production process. A class is characterized by shared interests and behaviors related to their role in production. In capitalism, the two primary classes are the bourgeoisie (owners) and the proletariat (workers). The bourgeoisie owns the means of production and can hire and exploit the labor power of the proletariat. The proletariat, lacking control over the means of production, must sell their labor to the bourgeoisie in order to survive.

    The relationship between these classes is marked by conflict. Their interests are fundamentally opposed. The bourgeoisie seeks to maximize labor and profit, while the workers strive for reduced working hours and higher wages. Ideally, workers would also have a say in the direction of production. For Marx, class struggle is the driving force of historical development. The balance of power between classes determines the structure of society and the nature of production. Marx predicted that capitalism would ultimately lead to its own demise. By intensifying the contradictions within the system, the working class would eventually triumph in the class struggle and overthrow capitalism. Only then could the immense productive capacity and technological advancements of industrial society be harnessed to truly meet human needs.

    Variants[edit | edit source]

    Marxian Economics[edit | edit source]

    Marxian Economics or Marxianism is a school of economic thought based on the work of 19th-century economist and philosopher Karl Marx. Marxian economics focuses on the role of labor in the development of an economy and is critical of the classical approach to wages and productivity developed by Adam Smith.

    Marxist Theology[edit | edit source]

    Marxist Theology functions like a civil religion, building upon intrinsic principles such as class conflict, work, simultaneous mass consciousness of the contradictions of capitalism, and post-revolution reorganization of society, etc.

    Parametric Determinism[edit | edit source]

    Parametric Determinism is a variant of Historical Materialism developed by Ernst Mandel.

    Personality[edit | edit source]

    Marxism will usually be portrayed as an amalgamation of Communist archetypes, and of the personality of Karl Marx himself. He will also occasionally be seen educating people on Philosphy.

    How to Draw[edit | edit source]

    WIP

    Relationships[edit | edit source]

    Proletariat[edit | edit source]

    • Marxist Feminism - The patriarchy was the first class distinction.
    • Leninism - Thank you for expanding upon my ideas, and creating the first successful proletarian revolution.
    • Materialism - The driving force of history is the material relationships between individuals.
    • Aristotelianism - Aristotle and Greek philosophy was very important for my ideological development in my youth.

    Lumpenproletariat[edit | edit source]

    • Hegelianism - One of my greatest teachers who taught me dialectics, but the idealism and abstract tendencies of yours need to go.
    • Darwinism - I like how your evolution theory is materialist, but why aren't you a fan of scientific socialism? I sent you many things and I thought you'd appreciate them!
    • Stirnerism - Saint Max, a petit bourgeois individualist, but at least he helped me get out of Young Hegelianism.
    • Žižekianism - Thank you for studying me, and lecturing others about me, but what is up with your Utopianism? And what do you mean you are more of a Hegelian than a Marxist?

    Bourgeoisie[edit | edit source]

    • Bakuninism - Have these gentlemen ever seen a revolution?
    • Proudhonism - Bourgeois socialist. Your “dialectics” of political economy are pure nonsense, it is not enough to remove the perceived “bad” of capitalism.
    • Philosophy - “Feuerbach’s great achievement is the proof that philosophy is nothing else but religion rendered into thought and expounded by thought, i.e., another form and manner of existence of the estrangement of the essence of man; hence equally to be condemned"
    • Utilitarianism - "As a general rule, articles of utility become commodities, only because they are products of the labour of private individuals or groups of individuals who carry on their work independently of each other. The sum total of the labour of all these private individuals forms the aggregate labour of society. Since the producers do not come into social contact with each other until they exchange their products, the specific social character of each producer’s labour does not show itself except in the act of exchange. In other words, the labour of the individual asserts itself as a part of the labour of society, only by means of the relations which the act of exchange establishes directly between the products, and indirectly, through them, between the producers. To the latter, therefore, the relations connecting the labour of one individual with that of the rest appear, not as direct social relations between individuals at work, but as what they really are, material relations between persons and social relations between things." [3]
    • Egalitarianism - “As between one country, one province and even one place and another, living conditions will always evince a certain inequality which may be reduced to a minimum but never wholly eliminated. The living conditions of Alpine dwellers will always be different from those of the plainsmen.”

    Quotes[edit | edit source]

    Further Information[edit | edit source]

    Karl Marx (Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy)

    Literature[edit | edit source]

    Young Marx

    Young Engels

    Wikipedia[edit | edit source]

    Gallery[edit | edit source]

    References[edit | edit source]

    1. ↑ See Louis Althusser's remarks on "Marxist philosophy" in an interview in his later years.
    2. ↑ https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1884/origin-family/ch09.htm
    3. ↑ Capital Volume One, Section 4



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