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From The Enlighteners: Marx's Contribution To The Enlightenment

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The scientific revolution in early modern Europe marked a catalyst for the Enlightenment, which challenged the Aristolean-Christian worldview that prevailed at the time. While the latter explained universal phenomena as having a sense of divination with all beings having a purpose, the former explained the universe as “a mechanical system composed of matter in motion that obeyed natural laws” (Seidman 11). The new views of the Enlightment challenged previously conceived ideals of a universe under a sense of spiritual control by examining the world through a scientific lens, bringing forth the idea that science results in social progress. The Enlighteners challenged the inequalities and intolerance brought forth by the social hierachy of the …show more content…

As influenced by the beliefs of the enlighteners, Marx wanted to replace the culture of religious control in Germany with a secular-humanistic one. Marx believed that human destiny lies within human control, not through any religious or natural forces, and in turn, humans are driven to act in ways that fulfill their self interests. This led to Marx's theory that humans produce commodities in order to fulfill our needs, which in turn creates capitalistic societies. In observing the effects of capitalism, Marx drew the conclusion that it created a system in which opportunities were not equal and often exploitative among differing classes. It was Marx's idea that developing theories and ideals that challenged these class systems are what would lead to positive social change, as the theories would appeal to those who were socially oppressed. Marx believed that once those oppressed by capitalism became more aware of its effects on them personally and began to act in their own best interests, a shift in capitalism's structural and, therefore, social effects would result. It was Marx's thought that a revolution led by the oppressed working class would result in moves away from a capitalistic society toward a communist one in which an even distribution of wealth and resources were at the

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When the Enlightenment struck Europe, people began to think more intellectually and rationally, rather than religiously and traditionally. Because of this, the Scientific Revolution was sparked in Europe. The Scientific was the emergence of modern technology, when developments in mathematics, physics, astronomy, biology and chemistry transformed the views of society about nature. This newfound perspective of nature as a scientific remnant changed the ideas of society significantly. People began to believe that nature was a rational result from scientific excursions, rather than the creation by a divine figure; this meant that religion was tampered with by science because everything in the universe should be logical and rational, rather than the result of a divine figure and beliefs from the Scripture.

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In the 17th and 18th century the Enlightenment was a period of intellectual movement encompassing reason, individualism, and skepticism. The Scientific Revolution, which came from the enlightenment, resulted in new scientific findings, particularly in astronomy, which changed long-held beliefs about how space affects the natural world. These new revelations led people to doubt the established political and social hierarchies. The Enlightenment challenged traditional notions of hierarchy, including the king's 'divine right' to govern, the nobility's privileges, and the influence of religion on politics. Additionally, it served as an inspiration for the values of choice, equality, and independence as well as the fundamentals of human reason

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Marx feels that by getting ride of the ruling classes’ private property it would bring everyone onto an even playing field. In doing so, this would allow the lower class to break out of this situation in which they are being controlled by the need to acquire wealth and by the small percentage of society that holds the wealth. I feel that this type of society would be more advantageous for the advancement of enlightened though. If there is no longer a division of social class then people would no longer be striving for economic advancement and will have more time to advance their understanding. If people are no longer trying to emulate the wealth in hopes

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It is argued that social inequality occurs because of the conflict between the upper-class and the working-class, or as Marx defines it, the Bourgeoisie and the Proletariat. Based on the Manifesto of the Communist Party (Marx and Engels, 1848), the divergence emerges because the aim of the Bourgeoisie is to obtain a surplus-value that is produced by the work of the Proletariat. On the other side, the Bourgeoisie provides the Proletariat with the minimum required, such as a place to live and a minimum wage, in order to keep the society under control and avoid a rebellion. However, Marx did predict a revolt of the working-class that would eventually lead to a communist regime. When it comes to applying this theoretical approach to reality, it is evident to notice that no global revolt in regards to capitalism has occurred.

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Marx believed that for there to be a just and equal society, there had to be collective action and solidarity among the oppressed. From the civil rights movement to the Haitian slave revolution, Marx's theories have influenced social movements throughout history, proving the value of using civil disobedience to bring about social change. Marx would contend that citizens must oppose unjust laws and systems that uphold inequality and exploitation in place of the individual citizen's obligations to abide by the laws of the state. Marx emphasizes that the state should serve the interests of the people rather than the interests of the ruling elite, even though he acknowledges the value of law and order. People, therefore, have a moral duty to break any laws that support oppression and exploitation.

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He argues that with all the pressures of class conflict and the imbalance of capitalism there is no way that this pattern can continue without a major revolution. Marx compares capitalism to anarchy, in the sense that there is no organization within which only causes chaos. The common pattern of capitalism is a boom followed by a bust, and that bust leads to recession and social unrest. This sort of fickle economy, Marx believes, will furthermore contribute to the downfall of capitalism. This socialist revolution would, “abolish private ownership of key elements of economy and change nature of relationships from ones based on marriage and property.”

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In his writing, he was focused on the social classes struggles for power with the working class against its capitalistic leaders. Marx founded that the market binds the individual producer to the market from which he consumes, as he is dependent on capital for his survival. The worker thus creates a surplus value for the upper class he labors for, helping large-scale industries dominate the market, and creating a larger gap in income inequality, inevitably leading to conflict. With this, Marx took a materialist approach in his philosophy, where he viewed society to be ever changing, and systematically developed in favor of the most dominant productive

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Marx saw capital and liberal democracies as the fundamental reasons for the low standards of living and the low social conditions of workers. Karl Marx in particular is especially concerned with the political assumptions behind these two ideologies. According to him, these two types of government should be replaced by communism, since communism would provide a more equal and socially just society. Although this statement may seem unusual, since we tend to associate communism with Stalin and China, the type of communism implemented in these countries is different from the communism that Marx and Engels envisaged in their Communist Manifesto. Marx and Engels’ vision of communism is based on the principle of equality among the people and freedom

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