Karl Marx on Man

Paper Summary:

This paper analyzes the philosophies of Karl Marx on the psychological nature of man. Unlike sociological relativism, Marx started out with the idea that man qua man is a recognizable and ascertainable entity, which can be defined not only biologically, anatomically and physiologically, but also psychologically. In particular, the author of this paper studies Marx's writing on the alienation of man from human nature. The paper explains how the notion of alienation informed Marx's philosophies on communism, since he believed that only in a classless society could man become his full potential.

From the Paper:

"According to Marx, humanity's fundamental need was for freedom, but was not actually free. Humans had no control over their own lives or over their own productivity. They were oppressed by the social and economic powers, which controlled the systems of labor and capital. Humans worked to survive, unable to enjoy the results of their labor, alienated by the systems of societal life."

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