The Work of Karl Marx and the Importance of the Individual - Essay Example

Karl Marx’s Work and the Importance of the Individual Karl Marx is inarguably one of the most influential men of the19th century. His socialist views have shaped the politics and social lives of thousands of people in many different parts of the world. While many hail Marxism thoughts as a perfect alternative to capitalism, there are those who think that the work of Marx constitutes a framework that undervalues the importance of the individual. This criticism is mistaken as all of Karl Marx works are based on what is right and just for man. His ideas regarding objectification and human needs only point out to the fact that he greatly values the potential and importance of man (Marx 10). On the other hand, Marx has an answer for the perceived undervaluation of the importance of the individual: capitalism. This paper looks at Marx’s ideas regarding objectification and his view of human needs, in the context of his discussion of alienation under capitalism. Marx’s opinion on the purpose of production is also an issue that is dealt with in this paper. These issues are examined in detail in an effort to indicate that Karl Marx’s work is often mistakenly criticized as constituting a framework that undervalues the importance of the individual. Marx on Objectification and Human Needs The alienation theory, according to Marx, is the separation of human beings from various aspects that characterize their human nature. In order to understand the concept of alienation in line with Marx’s opinion of human needs and objectification, it is important to understand what he meant by human nature. He describes human nature as the means by which humans are capable of shaping their environment or nature. Marx, in emphasizing the importance of the individual, argues against an abstract concept of human nature. Instead, he insists that individuals express their lives as they are (15). This is to say that one’ individualism is pegged on material conditions of his production. In his 1844 Manuscripts, Marx says that human nature is a “totality of needs and drives” which he says exerts some force on man. This is to say that human nature cannot be regarded in the absence of the need to satisfy certain needs. This is what he says about human needs and drives: “Man is directly a natural being. As a natural being and as a living natural being he is on the one hand endowed with natural powers, vital powers – he is an active natural being. These forces exist in him as tendencies and abilities – as instincts. On the other hand, as a natural, corporeal, sensuous objective being he is a suffering, conditioned and limited creature, like animals and plants. That is to say, the objects of his instincts exist outside him, as objects independent of him; yet these objects are objects that he needs – essential objects, indispensable to the manifestation and confirmation of his essential powers” (17). According to Marx, the needs of humans normally change depending on the way they change their environment. He says that “… producers change, in that they bring out new qualities in themselves, develop themselves in production, transform themselves, develop new powers and ideas, new needs and new language” (26). This shows that Marx was not entirely against the notion that individuals are very important. He was only trying to emphasize that that importance is pegged on the level of the individual’s needs. Marx differentiates humans from other animals in many of his writings. He gives examples of religion and consciousness as some of those things that can be said to be distinguishing factors between man and animals. Marx continues to say that as soon as they start producing their means of survival, human beings start distinguishing themselves from other animals. To further explain the difference between an individual and animals in terms of needs, Marx states that: “It is true that animals also produce. They build nests and dwellings, like the bee, the beaver, the ant, etc. But they produce only their own immediate needs or those of their young; they produce only when immediate physical need compels them to do so, while man produces even when he is free from physical need and truly produces only in freedom from such need; they produce only themselves, while man reproduces the whole of nature; their products belong immediately to their physical bodies, while man freely confronts his own product. Animals produce only according to the standards and needs of the species to which they belong, while man is capable of producing according to the standards of every species and of applying to each object its inherent standard” (37) Marx continues to argue that objectification manifests human activity into a form that exists materially. This is to say that the production of labor expresses an individual’s personality and also the social relations within which the labor occurred. In the capitalist world, objectification refers to the process by which a worker produces and the estrangement and loss of what has been produced. This is to say that production under capitalism loses the object it produces. Production under capitalism is primarily for profitability purposes, and not to satisfy the needs of the worker, who lacks control over the object he helped produce (47). The worker puts his all into the production of the object but alienates himself from it since it does contribute to his personal satisfaction in any way. Alienation under Capitalism Marx’s description of alienation is “the positioning of social activity, the consolidation of our product as a real power over us, growing out of control” (77). In his 1844 Manuscripts, Marx studies people not in the abstract, but in the context of a worker under a capitalist state. He introduced the ideas of alienation and estranged labor as he tried to understand the wage worker’s material conditions. He describes capitalism as being as an alienated and free social power which “stands over against society as a thing” (76). There are four aspects alienation under capitalism than Marx outlines in the passage titled Estranged Labor: “The alienation of the worker in his product means not only that his labor becomes an object, an external existence, but that it exists outside him, independently, as something alien to him, and that becomes a power of its own confronting him” (108) There are three points that come out very strongly in this passage. One is that another person, other than the worker, legally owns the product of labor. According to Marx, the worker, despite his toil, is physically deprived the chance to enjoy the fruits of his labor. When Marx makes this observation in the capitalist world, it does not mean that the value of the individual is diminished. What he is trying to portray is the condition under which humans are forced to work under in order that they may survive. They work very hard but most of the profits that come as a result of their efforts normally are enjoyed by other people who did not put as much effort on the production process. The second point that comes out clearly is the view that the worker has no control whatsoever over the product he creates. Instead, as Marx says, it is the product that has total control of the worker. It is like the worker now becomes the product’s slave. In the capitalist world, production is a very important aspect of economic survival. People have to make sure that in order to survive, their products have to be outstanding (109). Individuals have been reduced to a point where they measure their value by what they produce. According to Marx, this is not the way it should be, but that is how it is and it only devalues the individual. The third issue that stands out in the passage is the assumption that in the capitalist world, individual who make up the working class can only exist as long as they are workers. This is to say that as a worker, one considers his work before anything else, including his individuality. In Marx’s view, the capitalist system puts much more value in the worker than on the person that the worker is (109). Marx does not necessarily mean that he supports the idea that the individual should come second, he is just placing holding capitalism responsible for undermining the importance of the individual. This passage strongly brings out the issue of alienation when Marx touches on the issue of the worker being alienated from his productive activity. He says that “if then the product of labor is alienation, production itself must be active alienation” (110). In this argument, Marx is trying to say that the kind and condition of work that workers have to contend with presents a clear contrast to what he terms as their essential-being, or simply put, their individuality. Marx says that as long as individuality is absent from work, the wage-worker will only be worn down. This means that there will be no satisfaction, only frustration. This is the kind of labor that Marx terms as being coerced or forced. To Marx, labor in capitalism is “not the satisfaction of a need; it is merely a means to satisfy needs external to it” (111). This means that labor is completely alienated from the satisfaction of individual needs, and instead, it is used as a means of satisfying other non-individual needs. Marx also argues that under capitalism, workers are alienated from their species being. What Marx means by this is that every species’ character is contained in its life activity. In Marx’s way of thinking, the species being of humans is free conscious activity. However, Marx insists that wage labor in the capitalist state does not conform to the notion of free conscious activity and cannot therefore be considered to be true human activity. Another aspect of alienation expounded by Marx is the estrangement of man from his fellow men (112). By this Marx means that people’s relations are dependent on the roles that they play as players of economic expansion and value accumulation. Marx’s views on alienation can be regarded in the context of the materiality of the wage worker under capitalism. Unlike other socialists before him, Marx does not see alienation as being a human condition. Instead, he states that it results from specific social relations in which the productive activity of an individual is lowered to the level of wage labor in which case the worker does not have control on the whole productive activity. In other words, Marx sees alienation as the result of production relations in capitalism. However, Marx does not condone this state of affairs. To his knowledge, this situation can be reversed if capitalist relations are removed. This means that the solution lies in the transformation of capitalist social relations. He argued that under capitalism, people are normally hindered from leading lives that are truly human and that a socialist revolution is the only solution (113-115). According to Marx’s view point, capitalism and alienation go hand in hand due to the fact that production is normally concentrated in the hands of a few people. It is an economic system that only satisfies the needs of a few individuals, and these are the people who are in control of the means of production. To understand that Marx was not supporting the framework that purports that the importance of the individual is downplayed, one has to consider the solutions that Marx gives for the alleged failures of capitalism. To him, the socialist movement solves most of the problems that come with capitalism since it supports the individuality of the human being and at the same time it gives him the opportunity to be active and find satisfaction in his activities (115). Purpose of Production Marx argues that human beings are purposive producers. This is to say that whatever productive activity that men get into, they do so for a certain reason or purpose. To most people, production or work is considered an unavoidable necessity. However, Marx disagrees with this notion, arguing instead, that production can be creative meaningful an self expressive. He says that if the purpose of production was like this for everyone, then each and every individual would have a life that is both satisfying and fulfilling. According to Marx, capitalism in all its intent robs the worker of all of life’s contents (118). Marx goes ahead to say that capitalism emphasizes division of labor, which means that production is broken into small specialized tasks. Each of these specific tasks is performed by a different worker so as to increase the level of profitability. According to Marx, this leads to the individual being “appropriated by a one-sided function and annexed to it for life” (119). This is effect deprives people of the opportunity to enjoy a variety powers and activities that all human beings need. Marx points out that if capitalism could be replaced by a democratic society where laborers work collectively and have total control of the various means of production, then work could be regarded as being satisfactory to everyone. This means that the production process under a socialist system would be changed into a rewarding activity for its own sake. Marx believes that practicing socialism would be a good way of contributing to the common good. However, he warns that is capitalism continues, labor will always be alienated (122). Conclusion It is clear that from the views of Karl Marx about objectification, human needs and the purpose of production that he does not in any way undermine the importance of the individual. He says that it is capitalism’s tendency of alienation that dismisses the importance of the individual. Marx classifies alienation into different categories. One, there is alienation that makes people to disintegrate from their products, that it, what they produce is not theirs and neither are they concerned with the characteristics of those things that they produce. All the workers really care about are their wages. The other alienation that Marx touches on is estrangement from their productive activity. Whatever they produce, the process does not reflect their projects or goals. Marx also talks about alienation of people from their species being. This is the alienation that separates people from the qualities that differentiates them from other beings. According to Marx, capitalist labor makes people to be alienated from their distinctive human qualities, a fact that put them on the same level with animals. Marx does not in any way undermine the importance of the individual. Instead, he just points out how certain systems, and especially capitalism contributes to the alienation of humans from their individuality. According to Marx, this alienation affects how people carry out activities to satisfy their needs. He argues that capitalism denies the individual the capacity to satisfy his own needs, and instead he is more concerned with satisfying the needs of others. Marx stresses that for the individual to be appreciated as a distinctive being, then capitalism and other social forms have to be replaced by democratic socialism. This way the effort and production activity of every individual can be appreciated and everyone will be able to exercise control of the means of production, meaning that individual needs will actually be met. Work Cited Marx, Karl. Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts 1844. New York: Lawrence & Wishart, 1973. Read More