Welcome to this lecture series on Aspects
Western Philosophy; Module 26 . This lecture
is trying to outline the philosophical contributions
of one very important and even when
you measure it in terms of contemporary relevance
in that way most important I would
say philosopher Karl Marx.
We can actually approach Karl Marx philosophy
from two-three directions.
One is to see
him has continuation with the great philosophical
tradition in Germany, Kant; then from
Kant you know the idealistic tradition is
taken to a different heights by a Hegel.
But there
is one important aspect about Hegel’s philosophy;
he is addressing a particular problem,
the problem of alienation.
He is trying to respond to this problem, and
as we have seen in
the previous lecture he outlines the development
of the spirit, the phenomenology of
spirit or the development of the spirit as
a historical process which begins from
consciousness and proceeds to self consciousness
and from there culminates in reason.
And in this way Hegel would try to overcome
the problem of alienation where the
individual self or individual mind realizes
that it is a manifestation of the universal
mind.
So all differences, all contradictions are
over come at that stage; the final stage of
reason
where the ultimate synthesis of infinite with
the finite takes place that is Hegel.
But, you
know we can see that there are so many aspects
of Hegel which we would find
reappearing in Marxian philosophy, but in
a different way.
As he belongs to the left
Hegelian group, he tries to provide an interpretation
of history which is totally different
from his predict are Hegel.
And while Hegel was trying to spiritualize
reality Karl Marx
he retains the historical approach of a Hegel,
but he is trying to provide a materialistic
account, he is trying to provide a materialistic
account of history.
So, that is something which we have going
to examine in this lecture the historical
materialism, where the materialistic conception
of history of client; which would be
followed by a discussion of the base structure
and superstructure division which he
maintains in philosophy.
And ultimately we will try to see the in this
course, the
development of history, the development of
social history of man would explain the
different stages and which according to Karl
Marx culminates in classless society that
is
what we are going to see in this lecture.
So, we will begin with an examination; brief
outline of the materialistic conception of
history and its important concerns.
Number one, as I have already mentioned its
addressing the problem of human freedom and
alienation.
I would rather say this is one
of the prime concerns of Marx which actually
makes in relevant even today.
When we
talk about philosophers, a philosophers relevance
in the history we normally what we
mean by that is you know a philosophers is
relevant in the what you call in the history
of
philosophy or in the history of ideas is very
relevant and even today contemporary
philosophers also over a lot him.
So, in that sense many of these thinkers we
mention in the history of philosophy of are
relevant.
But, when it comes to practical applications
hardly anyone can compete with
Karl Marx.
Marxian philosophy is not just a philosophy
for contemplation, it is a
philosophy of action, it is a philosophy of
practice and it is a philosophy that ultimately
aims at transforming the world or even in
that sense reality.
So, that is the importance of
Karl Marx as he famously stated once philosophers
have either to only interpret the
world, but the point is to change it.
So, his philosophy is an attempt to do that.
And in order to makes such changes he has
to
come up with an understanding of philosophy,
an understanding of human reality and
this understanding of philosophy and human
reality is initiated with materialistic
conception of history where he starts by addressing
the problem of human freedom and
alienation.
Then again to overcome this problem of alienation
Marx proposes that we have to
change the world and understand that human
realities essentially historical like Hegel,
but here as I mentioned he provides a materialistic
account of history.
So, it is historical materialism; where he
says that the proletariat, the working class
plays
a very important role, extremely crucial role
in change in the world, and also overcoming
alienation by changing the world.
So, these are the things which we are going
to discuss
today.
And, now let us start with historical materialism.
It is an attempt to explain the origin and
development of the society from a materialistic
perspective.
Why, how human society is
has emerged.
In fact, Marxian account is really comprehensive,
because he starts with
the human origin how human beings have evolved,
following the insights from
Darwinian philosophy or Darwinian approaches
Karl Marx also adopts a kind of very
scientific and very rational path in which
he explains the evolution of human kind, the
evolution man from the animal world, the emergence
of man, the emergence of man is a
social being, the emergence of societies or
social history of man.
All these things are
outlined in a comprehensive philosophical
thinking.
Historical Materialism deals with the most
general laws of social development.
That is
one way in which Marx conceives his philosophy,
he says that it scientific philosophy.
Scientists are generally interested in or
trying to understand the universal laws behind
natural phenomena.
So, here historical phenomena are analyzed
and Karl Marx is trying
to arrive at those universal laws which guide
or which determine the process of historical
phenomena.
The general laws of social development are
something which he is trying to describe
with an explanation of the historical materialism.
And it is against all the idealistic
understanding of history with a scientific
and materialistic conception is defiantly
inspired by the evolution the theory of evolution
proposed by Charles Darwin.
Let us look at the pre Marxian views about
history there are different accounts of history
even as we have seen Hegel himself provides
in account where he tries to see has a
creative process in which the spirit unfolds
itself and realizes itself and culminates
in the
absolute.
So, here there are different versions where
histories created by people their
consciousness and will, and there are some
philosophers who conceive history as
constitutive of supernatural forces as these
forces deciding the destiny of people.
Then
ideas or theories determine the course of
history.
All these are different ways in which
you know pre Marxian thinkers have approach
a whole phenomenon called history and
try to understand it.
But Marx ‘s provides a very important very
significantly very
different view of history where he also tries
to explain the development of society as a
process where material conditions are being
underlined.
Now, society according to him develops in
accordance with certain laws which are
independent of the wishes and desires of people.
See it is like any other law, any other
scientific law; scientific laws are or natural
laws are not they do not function according
to the wishes and desires of people.
So, they are universal and objective in the
sense that
they are not our creations, they do not function
according to our wishes and desires.
So, when Marx tries to introduce his conception
of history or his philosophy which is
says is scientific is also searching for such
universal objective scientific laws that are
independent of the wishes and desires of people,
that would guide the development of
society or the process of social development.
So, the development of society can be seen
as a process of social production.
That is the most important aspect of Marxian
approach.
It is a process of social production from
human evolution from the apes to the complex
society or social formations he is trying
to outline this history.
So what is it?
The process
of social production what happens is that,
men came together and enter into definite
relations that are indispensible and independent
of their wills and desire.
So, this is as the cuts of Marxian understanding
of social development, he identifies
labour and protection as extremely significant
and extremely important aspects of human
reality.
And then he tries to show that this activity
of production is essential a social
activity where people have to come together,
and as society develops there is a lot of
cooperation between the peoples needed.
And as a result production becomes social
production where people have to enter into
different kinds of relationships.
And this laws
according to which they enter into such kinds
of relationship with each other with nature
and with various things and artifacts are
not something which happen according to their
wishes and desires.
They are independent of their will and desire.
Now what is it?
Here let us look at Darwin’s theory and
the Marxian appropriation of
this theory or the communist the appropriation
by tangles another very important thinker
in the development of Marxism.
So, Charles Darwin had stated that he try
to provide a scientific explanation for man’s
origin in his theory of evolution.
He traces man’s origin to the animal world
as all of us
know that we have our predecessors in the
animal world the aids.
And this provides an
account of discovery of the law of development
of organic nature.
How, in a creative
conflict, a creative interaction with nature
and surroundings different organisms different
species different animals evolved and ultimately
the evolution of man with
consciousness.
So, this is what Darwin was trying to do with
his scientific explanation of
the origin of species.
Frederick Engels though in principle except
this he takes it and
explains how labour plays a key role in the
origin of man.
So, this is the Marxian
contribution to the theory of evolution species
evolution of man.
So, he recognizing the
important role played by labour, an account
of the scientific discovery of the law of
development of human history.
So, what is says is our ancestors learned
how to make use of their front extremities
for
simple operations which are prehensile functions,
the differentiation of hand from foot
the emergence of labour.
That states very important the history the
evolution of man, the
human species.
Suddenly, they realize that the hands can
be differentiated from the foot
and can be used for different functions, you
can handle something.
And with hand you
can do certain things it is a tool now.
Since you can do certain things you need greater
brain hand coordination.
This becomes
a necessity in order to use the hand as a
tool you need greater contribution greater
sharpness of the brain so gradually brain
also developed and then ultimately
consciousness developed.
And since you can use your hand for doing
several things you
can have a social live, you can come together
all kinds of social developments also
follow.
So, this is how you know the process of evolution
is being further described by
the Marxian philosophers, the differentiation
of hand from foot.
This brought people closer together and stimulated
mutual assistance and joint activity;
and later insights to the natural laws governing
life which ultimately led to the
development of sciences and other technological
activities which actually where
responsible for human civilization.
Again it is a process of reacting to nature
in a certain
way.
So there are different stages let us briefly
outline them the differentiation of hand from
foot which I have mentioned erection gait
is a very important stages where you know
this
differentiation happen , that you can really
get up and stand on your two legs and where
you do not have to support your entire body
with your two hands and the two hands are
free now, you can use it as a tool.
The emergence of labour and production people
coming together out of and together
with the labour process emergence of language
like, when people come together they
would start interacting and the impact process
of interaction language develops and with
language a consciousness emergence and the
conditions of separate useful actions also
evolve.
Now, a little bit on labour and productions;
specialization of a hand where you can
employ like a tool and make changes in nature.
You can hold certain things you can
throw, you can make changes in the world with
your hand, and this is a very important
stage in the process of evolution.
And a specific human activity called production
actually becomes relevant in this contest.
So, historically, genetically this evolution
process is very important and production plays
important role in taking it further.
People come together and cooperate; so this
is what is
call social production.
This is a quote from Karl Marx; on the right
hand side you would see a model of a spider
man.
So, Marx says the spider conducts operations
that resemble those of a weaver, and
a bee puts to shame many an architect in the
construction of her cells.
But what
designates the worst architect from the best
of bees is this that the architect raises
his
structure in imagination before he erects
it in reality.
At the end of every labour process
we get a result that already existed in the
imagination of the labourer at its
commencement.
He not only effects a change of form in the
material on which he works,
but he also realizes a purpose of his own.
So, it is something which comes from inside
of the labourer.
So the production or labour,
production activity is where something which
is internally there in imagination which
already existent is being materialized.
So, in one sense we can say that the essence
is
being materialized in the process of production.
So, that is why labour or production
plays a very important role in Marxian philosophy.
And it is very closely associated with the
notion of speech, and then from there to
consciousness.
So, this is what Engels says I quote.
Labour and speech were the two
essential stimuli under the influence of which
the brain of the ape gradually changed into
that of man.
Hand in hand with the development of the brain
went the development of its
most immediate instruments the senses.
So, everything, speech, senses, everything
developed which ultimately led to the
evolution of man and as the intelligent creature
he is today.
So, here these are some of the interesting
aspects of that the materialistic conception
which Marx is trying to initiate.
It is different from other conceptions materialism.
For
example, there is a notion of metaphysics
materialism where the philosophers would
argue that matter determined consciousness.
And idealism on the other hand as just an
opposite view was consciousness determines
matter.
And dialectical materialism where matter determines
consciousness which intern
influences matter.
So, it is a creative interactive dialectical
process that Marx envisages.
Now, it is this conception which is associated
with the notion of alienation which Marx
conceives as the most significant philosophical
and material worry of human kind.
Overcoming alienation is the greatest human
task which Marx is trying to achieve or
accomplish with the help of is materialistic
understanding of this reality, particularly
human reality.
Now objects of labour, what do you mean by
objects of labour?
All those things earth,
plant, an animal world the objects acted upon
by man with his equipment tools and other
things.
So, this is object of labour.
And when you talk about means of labour or
production things that people place between
themselves and the object of labour are the
means of labour or production.
There are
instruments of labour like; axe, saw, lathe,
machines, etcetera.
We are trying to outline
the components of production of material wealth.
Again you have the productivity forces of
society which constitute the knowledge and
skill of the working people which is inevitable
for the creation of material world, and it
characterize the material relations between
society and nature.
And when you talk about
the other component production relations;
it is based on the ownership of the means
of
production.
These are some of the important components,
and now we will try to outline
their important relationships, we should explain
Marxian philosophy in comprehensive
fashion.
So, let us talk about mode of production.
So, there are the productive forces on the
one
hand and production relations on the other
hand which constitute a mode of production.
What mode of production a particular society
follows, is determined by the productive
forces which we have already seen, the knowledge
and skill of the working people; and
then the production relations which is nothing
but based on the ownership, who owns the
means of production so that matters.
See for example, according to Marxian theory
there are different stages of human
evolution.
One particular stage for example, feudalism
the land is owned by certain
feudal laws and there are and other workers
who are landless
workers who actually have our controlled over
the wealth’s of society.
So, based on that
you know there relationship with nature, the
relationship with their objects of work, and
the relationship with the owners of work all
these constitute production relation.
So, you have productive forces and production
relations they constitute the mode of
production of a particular society.
In a capitalist society this mode of production
would
be of a different kind and in a feudal society
it will be of another kind.
They exist as
objective reality independently of the desire
will and consciousness of people.
This is
somewhat is something I mentioned some time
back when I said you know he was trying
to outline universal laws of history, like
a scientist would try to outline the universal
laws
of nature.
Changes and develops all the time.
So, this is another aspect of Marxian philosophy
he
says that it is a historical process it is
not static.
The mode of production which depends
on the productive force and the production
relations keep on changing, so from
feudalism to capitalism there is a very significant
change.
Now the capitalist are the
owners of factories and technologies and other
things and the property less working class
or proletariat we call them, their relationship
is different from the kind of relationship
they have with nature, within themselves,
and with their capitalist is different from
the
kind of relations that existed during the
feudal era.
Now changes in development are production
is initiated by changes in production
relations.
Marx is trying to gradually outline the process
of historical change.
What
happens, how change takes place?
Changes in production relations lead to transformation
of the entire social system, social ideas,
and political views which make up the
superstructure of any society.
So, it is this production relationship which
is very crucial, the nature of this relationship
the changes that take place within this relationship
it actually leads to a kind of
transformation the entire social system.
And which ultimately replaces the socioeconomic
system that is existent today.
So, such changes and replacements and
transformations are result of the changes
that take place in the production relationships.
Productive forces develop faster than production
relations and they may conflict and they
may each other.
So, I mentioned about the productive forces
they develop faster than the
production relationships and there is a conflict.
Resolution of the conflict happens with
the replacement of the old production relations
with new ones; in the example of
feudalism and capitalism we this quite visible.
Feudalism encounters certain difficulties,
certain conflicts within the system because
there was conflict between the productive
forces and the production relationships.
The
society can no longer pull on with this conflict,
so a resolution becomes inevitable which
ultimately led to the creation of a different
society with the different set of relationships
and socio-economic conditions.
So, the destruction of the old socio-economic
formation and its replacement by the new
one happens here.
Marx says that the social formation, socio-economic
formation
actually happens according to certain laws.
So what is it; the result of the conflict
between production forces and production
relationships.
This universal law had governed the entire
history of human society; this is
what I mention about the universal law of
history.
And it governs all progress of material
production and of society as a whole.
And there are according to the Marxian view
five
socio-economic formations which start from
the primitive, communal, slave-owning,
feudal, capitalist, and communist.
So, this figure will outline it, the on the
bottom you can see the primitive communal
system which encounter certain inner conflicts
and as a result there is this revolution take
place which leads to the next one slave holding.
Again due to this conflict between
modes of production and the revolution taking
place which leads the feudalism.
And
again as a result of the inner conflict revolution
takes place leads capitalism.
And now at present we are in this stage and
envisages do self further
lead to communism as the result of a revolution.
But then, this stage is very important
because, when Marx compose this words the
capitalism was emerging in Europe and
many European nations are already witness
rapid industrialization he thought that the
evolution to the next stage with the revolution
its needs to be initiated by the working
class.
So, that is where you know he thought proletariat
or the working class plays a very
important role.
The revolution the conflict ultimately reaches
the stages of revolution transition from one
socio-economic formation to another.
And there is an intermediary stage of social
upheaval which needs to be resolves that confusion
needs to be overcome.
And a socio
historical, a law governed processes of development
of human society.
It underlines the
progressive character of social development.
So, we can see that a kind of theology, a
kind of progress it is not just blind change
but a
progress from one stage then that stage progresses,
the more it progresses the more its
conflicts become apparent and expose.
And these ultimately necessitate a kind of
a
resolution which happens with the help of
revolution which takes it to the next stage,
and
it goes on.
Now, before we really get into the last section
where will discuss the problem of
alienation let us clarify a point here, in
the materialistic conception of history which
is
called the historical materialism; there Marx
makes the distinction between the base
structure and the superstructure of a society.
So, this distinction refers to the social
relations of a historically determined society
as a
total system, conceived society as a total
system.
And every society will have a base
structure which is represented by the material
relationships, like how different people are
related to each other; the class differences,
the proletariat or the haves and the have
nots.
And then again the superstructure is constituting
the political and ideological relations.
Everything that comes under that low politics
morality religion everything comes under
the superstructure.
That is the reason why many people criticize
mass for being and
economic reductionist.
He would say that the economic relationships
constitute the base
structure which is very important for any
society.
So, this base structure which is the bases
of society, the totality of the historically
determined relations of production which is
nothing but the economic relations.
And the
superstructure is constitutive of the totality
of the ideological relations views and
institutions which I have already mention.
Law, the state, morality, religion, philosophy,
art, political, and legal forms of consciousness
and the institutions corresponding to
them.
So, all these constitute the superstructure
which is based on the base structure.
The super
structure under goes changes in accordance
with the changes which happens to the base
structure the economic relationships.
So, here there is a quote from the collected
works of Karl Marx and Fredrick Engels, I
quote.
In the social production which people carry
on, they enter into relations that are
defined, indispensible, and independent of
their will.
These relations of production
correspond to a definite stage of development
of their material productive forces.
The
sum total of these relations of productions
constitute the economic structure of society
which is the real base, on which rise legal
and political superstructures and to which
correspond defined relations of social consciousness;
and quote.
This would also highlight the interactive-dialectical
element in social formation.
The low
itself highlight this dialectical and interactive
element.
Historical changes in the base are
derived and determined by the changes in the
nature of the productive forces of society.
The historically determined base in tern determines
the nature and type of the social
superstructure.
Radical change in the economic structure of
a given society produces
change and radical transformation in the entire
social superstructure.
So, instead of saying that one is dependent
on the other Marx would high light the fact
that they are interactive, one would determine
the other and influence the other vice
versa.
Let us now come to the conclusion part of
our lecture.
I would try to highlight to
important things here; the problem of overcoming
alienation, and the role played by the
proletariat class in this process.
As we have seen from primitive communism to
the
modern communism particularly, the stage in
between capitalism and communism is
something which Karl Marx says we have to
act.
The point of philosophy is to change
the world not to interpret it.
So, here there is a need to act from capitalism
to
communism.
We have to change the society because this
social system is essentially
exploitative which takes away freedom from
a huge number of people; the proletariat.
So, we will try to see that the idea of class
struggle which is again at the center of
Marxian theory it explained as the source
of social development.
Karl Marx could see the
entire history of human kind as a struggle
between to class haves and have nots.
So, the
notion of and the concept of class struggle
is at the center of Marxian philosophy.
So, the production relations are explained
in terms of class relations as well haves
and
have nots.
And the two classes have different relationships
to the means of production,
those who have, and those who possess the
means of production they on it, they on the
means of productions, but those who do not
have the proletariat class or to the working
class have no ownership over the means of
production.
They are just selling their labour
and labour according to Marx as we have seen
earlier is nothing but the essence of man.
Because, in labour or in the activity of production
man realizes brings out something for
his imagination, materializes his imagination
into the real world.
So, in that process the
essence is materialized.
And when you have your essence as your product
in front of
you, and when you realize that you have know
right over it your essence is being sort
taken away from you which means that you are
taken away from yourself; entire thing
your freedom everything you have to surrender
because you have no control over your
life.
So, this according to Marx is a miserable
philosophical worry, it is a miserable
situation which needs to be overcome; this
is what he means by alienation.
And what is the class?
A class or classes are groups of people that
differ from one
another by their relationship to the means
of production.
Based on the relationship
whether they on it or do not on it, based
on that the classes differ.
And there are
primarily two classes the class of haves and
the class of have nots.
And what they have
what they do not have depend on the production
relationships.
Each class has its unique role to play in
the social organization of labour; and each
class’s mode of appropriating and ownership
of public wealth very.
So, for example, the
Bhushava or the capitalist, the property owning
capitalist they have control over the
means of production; they own everything and
the property less working class have no
ownership at all.
So, their relationship social wealth vary
from the relationship of the
capitalist.
Emergence of classes in human history; Marx
here provides a very interesting
explanation of human history.
What is says that primitive society, the primitive
communism which have already mentioned a in
one of my earlier slides; it is basically
classless where people lived in small groups
or sometimes even individually and where
they basically did things for their fundamental
survival, and where there is not much of
social progress and the concerns for social
progress was also not there.
So, people live in small communes small communities
and joy equal rights everything
was common.
Level of economic development was very low.
With social development
and progress classes started evolving, because
you need to have very sophisticated
relationship between man and nature and man
and man.
So, this kind of a situation
actually resulted in the evolution of complex
social structures.
So, with development that progress; social
development and progress classes also
evolved.
You cannot operate with the kind of primitive
equality existed among our
.
Now the fundamental dichotomy also emerges
in terms of classes, the class of haves and
the class of have nots.
And in capitalism between the capitalist who
own the property
and the industrial houses and the factories
and the proletariat or the working class who
are property less; the struggle between them,
the struggle to overcome alienation.
So, Marxian attempt is to explain this relationship
between the property on capitalist and
the property less working class, it is a kind
of exploitative relationship.
The proletariats
are always exploited by the capitalist in
the situation, and there is a struggle, there
is a
conflict between them because they are increasingly
become aware of this exploitation
and there is a conflict.
And as a result of conflict there is a necessity
for a resolution of
this conflict which Marx thought needs to
be supplemented by ideas of alienation.
Because, the real problem is not exploitation,
the real problem is alienation.
And to
overcome alienation, once you overcome alienation
you can overcome the problem of
exploitation as well.
Now, let us see Marx on alienation; Marxian
theory about alienation is very interesting
he says that, money is the alienated essence
of human labour and life.
See for example, a
worker works for survival, he goes to the
factory and works for his owner of the factory.
And according to Marxian theory what is labour,
in labour or in production he is actually
materializing what is there in his imagination,
which is nothing but his own essence.
So,
the labour or production is a production of
essence.
The product is the essence, the
materialize form the essence.
But ironically the person who has produced,
the worker,
the proletariat who make this production activity
has no right over what he has produced.
So, this product which is actually his essence
is taken away from him, it remains over
against him as his alienated essence which
actually challenges him because it is going
to
be taken away from him.
And this he is post to do is because he is
actually selling this
for the sake of money to the capitalist.
So money, it is for the sake of money he does
it
and money here remains as the alienated essence
of labour and life.
Money or man’s alienated essence dominate
him as he worships it, because he has to
worship it, he does everything for the money
he is ready to even give his own essence for
the sake of money.
Hence, money is a barrier to human freedom.
So abolished of money
is the only source to overcome alienation.
Abolish private property.
Because the root cause of this alienation,
the root cause of this exploitative relationship
lies in the idea of private property.
Now again labour and alienation; labour is
the
fundamental activity of man which I have already
explains so I am not going to the
details here.
The way man obtains the means of subsistence
by interactions with nature
and the rest of living creatures there is
no interaction, I have already explains this
with
the quote of Marx where compares human labour
or human production with the bees or a
or a the spiders viewing skills.
But that is not labour, that is not production
that is quite following a natural instinct.
In
the case of man there is a creation of something
from imagination which is called
production.
Man’s interaction with nature is labour
which is an instrument for man’s self
creation by engaging himself in the activity
of production man creates himself.
And this
is this becomes a perennial issue for Marx.
And Marx says that the central philosophical
vary is how to overcome alienation, and here
criticism alone is not sufficient.
He says
that we have to see what has actually caused
this alienation.
The causes of alienation are
certain material conditions.
So, in order to overcome alienation you have
to actually overcome these material forces
which created alienation.
And these material forces which created alienation
needs to be
over thrown by material forces, another set
of material forces which is supplied by the
labours, the proletariat class.
A force that can over throw the system is
the working class.
Through revolution he wants the proletariat
to initiate a revolution, the famous slogan
you have nothing to lose, but only change
workers of all were unite and the proletariat
is
a sphere of society having a universal character
because of its universal suffering.
Why proletariat?
He identifies the proletariat as having this
historical responsibility of
initiating the revolution that ultimately
culminates in communism result in a kind of
overcoming all forms of alienation.
So, the proletariat has got a historical responsibility
here because the property owning
middle class can win freedom on the basis
of the rights to property.
They are already
enjoying freedom.
So, they are not really worried about freedom
they are not really
worried about the problem of alienation, though
they are also alienated from humanity in
a very significant way.
Propertyless working class possesses nothing.
They can liberate
themselves only by liberating the whole of
humanity; only by realizing the whole of
human self in them.
So, proletariat represents the whole of humanity,
the whole of human suffering due to
lack of freedom and lost essence.
Because, in this very peculiar economic relationship
which is exploitative were the proletariat
is force to sell his product which is nothing
but
his own essence materialized through labour.
When he does this, actually he suffers a
loss of self.
He suffers a loss of essence and also has
to sacrifice his freedom.
So, only by regaining this freedom and regaining
the lost essence you can gain
independents, you can gain happiness or overcome
alienation.
This can be done only
with a revolution.
So alienated labour what happens is that,
the worker and the product of his labour are
separated I already mentioned this.
They appear before him as an alien object,
because
he has no control over it, he has no right
to posses it.
And it stands over and above him
opposed him as an independent power, someone
else has power over it.
And then he is
alienated from himself in the very act of
production.
So, under such condition of production what
happens is that your alienated from
yourself, the worker is alienated from himself
in the very act of production.
Since he has
no power right or control of what he produces
he is unable to view his work as part of his
real self.
The moment he does it, it is taken away from
him, he has no controlled over it.
The work he does in cooperation with others
make him a part of humanity which is the
human species actually an ideal conditions
this is what is happening.
Every human
labour has a social element.
So, this social element, if you realize this
social element in
your individual activity of production that
consists in the realization of your social
self as
well, or rather you realize that your becoming
a part of humanity the human species.
The species life constitutes the social essence
of man.
In alienated labour this social
essence is taken away from him because there
is he has no option to in the great himself
with the rest of humanity, with the rest of
the human species.
Here what happens is that
is alienated from other men instead of cooperation
he competes with other workers.
Because this, again you know the supply demand
equation that works in classical
economics.
Even in the case of in the market more the
number of employees are
available jobless, the less the demand for
them naturally the wages would come down.
So, they are exploited there in terms of low
wages they are exploited.
And instead of
cooperating with them they compete with each
other, because they know that the supply
is more and the demand is less.
Now in the under such circumstances each worker
would perceive the other his co
worker as a threat which is again the loss
of social essence.
And overcoming alienation consisting resolving
all such problems; abolition of private
property is at the core of all these issues.
So, Marxism very strongly advocates the
abolition of private property, as it causes
alienation from nature and other men.
See in
what happens in private property, once you
are mesmerize by the paradigm of private
property is that even your senses your entire
perception of the world is controlled
dominated by this notion of private property.
You will not be able to appreciate the
worth and value and beauty of anything in
nature independent of this conception of
private property.
You always see it as something which you possess,
what would be the
value if I possess it, instead of appreciating
its value or worth independent of being
possessing it.
So, this is the danger of having this notion
of private property at the back
drop.
Abolition of wages and money; this is another
thing.
As I mentioned the wages will
come down, but hiking the wages is not a solution
rather the abolition of wages in total,
the abolition of money itself is the fundamental
solution.
In this the context a Marx
introduces the dialectical materialism where
the working class or the preliterate has the
historical responsibility of initiating a
revolution a materializing or nothing but
bringing
out the conflict that already exist in society.
Capitalist versus proletariat classes and
ultimately this reaches to the synthesis of
classless society.
The dialectics emergence from the concept
of private property; and classless society
both
private property and the proletariat will
disappear in that synthesis of classless society.
Interesting thing is that the private property
is the thesis and property less proletariat
is
the antithesis.
Private property creates its own antithesis,
because not at continue to exist
private property a must maintain the existence
of a property less working class.
And to
be property less is to suffer the loss of
essence and get alienated.
I have already mentioned, what do you mean
by property less?
Property less ultimately
means that you have no controlled over the
product which is ultimately the product of
your labour which is nothing but your own
essence; so alienated labour, alienated
essence.
So, under such circumstances the property
less is to suffer the loss of essence
and get alienated.
And to overcome this, the proletariat has
to abolish its self as well as
private property.
So, unless you abolish private property, because
private property requires for its own
subsistence the maintenance of a propertyless
working class, which ultimately means
sufferings, loss of self etcetera, and this
has to be overcome.
The class less society which
hey which Marx’s envisages is nothing but
the culmination, the ultimate synthesis of
the
dialectical relationship between the working
class or the haves and have nots, the
capitalist and the working class.
As we have seen in the stage of evolution
or social evolution, social change happens
from the stage of capitalism according to
Marx to communism which can be materialized
only with the over throwing of the material
forces of capitalism by the working class
by
means of a revolution.
And this happens by abolition of private property,
abolition of
money, and abolition of all forms of exploitation.
And I would rather conclude by saying that
Marx is important is not just because he has
proposed a philosophy which ultimately finds
a kind of particle application, but also
trying to integrate with this particle application
a very interesting and a very important
problem which human kind has been facing from
its beginning, the problem of
alienation.
And trying to find a solution to this fundamental
problem by providing an account of
history, and how this account of history ultimately
culminates in a process where man
has to do something creative in order to initiate
the process; the revolution, the proletariat
has to do that which ultimately results in
a classical society were all exploitations,
all
differences, everything is abolished, everything
is overcome.
So, that is the importance
of Marxism.
In this will wind up this lecture.
Thank you.
