PHILOS 1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: The German Ideology, Friedrich Engels, Mccarthyism
Karl Marx: Historical Materialism & Ideology
Read: Marx & Engels, “The German Ideology” (1846)
Real World Event: Industrial Revolution 1780s – 1860s
Philosopher: Karl Marx (1818 - 1883) was a German, Jewish philosopher, political economist,
sociologist, humanist, political theorist, revolutionary, and communist icon. In 1844 Marx began
collaborating with the affluent industrialist Friedrich Engels, fresh from working as a mill
manager in Manchester where he had been much affected by the poverty of the workers. The
result of their collaboration was first The Holy Family and then in 1846 The German Ideology.
1. What is your first impression of Marx’s philosophy?
A. Mostly positive
B. Mostly negative
Why read Marx? He is a communist!
Seeing Red: Anti-Communist Ideology in the McCarthy Era
Marx is a philosopher:
METAPHYSICS
EPISTEMOLOGY
VALUES
Homo Faber (man the worker)
is made into a laborer (an
object) who can be bought and
sold for wages.
History unfolds in according to
a LOGIC.
Materialism: History is
determined by Class Struggle:
Truth = Reflects
universal human
interests
Ideology =
dominant,
hegemonic ideas
that serve ruling
class interests
Religion is the opiate of
the masses.
Morality = ideological tool
of ruling classes
To overcome “false
consciousness,” alienation
& exploitation
(Oppression):
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➢ Tribal
➢ Slavery & Property
➢ Feudalism
➢ Mercantilism
➢ Capitalism
Base (material/economic mode
of production) & Superstructure
(ideology)
[Material] Reality determines
consciousness, not vice versa.
Classes, not individuals are the
change agents in history.
Q: How do you know
that you are not
“brainwashed” by
the ruling class, i.e.
how do you know
that you are not
suffering “false
consciousness”?
A: Dialectical Logic
Join the class struggle to
overthrow class society
and create a class-less
society based on
universal human interests.
2. Marx offers a method for getting at the OBJECTIVE truth about reality.
A. True
B. False
3. Marx agrees with Descartes that the scientific method is the best way to get at the
objective truth about reality.
A. True
B. False
Allegory of the Cave: A Marxist Interpretation
SYMBOL
INTERPRETATION
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Document Summary
Read: marx & engels, the german ideology (1846) Real world event: industrial revolution 1780s 1860s. Philosopher: karl marx (1818 - 1883) was a german, jewish philosopher, political economist, sociologist, humanist, political theorist, revolutionary, and communist icon. In 1844 marx began collaborating with the affluent industrialist friedrich engels, fresh from working as a mill manager in manchester where he had been much affected by the poverty of the workers. The result of their collaboration was first the holy family and then in 1846 the german ideology: what is your first impression of marx"s philosophy, mostly positive, mostly negative. Seeing red: anti-communist ideology in the mccarthy era. Homo faber (man the worker) is made into a laborer (an object) who can be bought and sold for wages. Ideology = dominant, hegemonic ideas that serve ruling class interests. Join the class struggle to overthrow class society and create a class-less society based on universal human interests.
