Who is Karl Marx?
The Marxist theory propounded by Karl Marx, later adopted as one of the foremost political ideologies that still prevails crossing centuries, is one of the forerunners of the concept of Social Equality, Well-being and an unorthodox critique of Capitalism. Laying the foundation in Social Class divisions, an individual’s self-identity and how this translates into a much bigger crisis with the emergence of capitalism, Marx’s ideas intersect different elements and niche concepts that remained unspoken or unthought about until his emergence. His insights about Commodification of labour are very similar and parallel to the idea Commercialisation of social constraints in the current world, where the Capitalist takes to his advantage, the emotional and social constraints of people and tries and monetises on them.
The bourgeois and the proletariat, the two elements that he discussed in detail through the establishment of his economic and political theories form the base layer of his whole theory and ideology. The way and method in which he weaves his ideology are impressive and uncompromising. His idea of dialectical materialism, the have and the have nots and his theories of value are the epitome of his arresting intellect and realistic yet forward-looking thought.
EMERGENCE OF KARL MARX
It is often said that what a person thinks and believes in is a reflection and inspiration of his past. Marx, having started his journey when he joined the ‘Hegel’ movement strongly criticised the political, social and cultural establishments of the day after which he moved on to being a journalist, writing pieces of radical nature. But what made him revolutionary was the book he co-authored with his fellow German thinker, Friedrich Engels; "The Communist Manifesto” that laid down and introduced the concept of Socialism to the world, and his Magnum-opus Kapital (Das Kapital) in which he laid down his unorthodox criticism of Capitalism, and how it will further lead to self-destruction of the whole system, how different classes will react and survive the big crisis that lied forward.
SOCIAL WELLBEING, CLASS STRUGGLE AND LABOUR
One of the unassuming characteristics of Marxist theory is how Karl Marx left no stone unturned in explaining his revolutionary ideas to the world. In both his works, The Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital, Marx achieved to explain analytically his approach to class struggle, problems and the self-destructive nature of capitalism and how class divide accelerates through.
In achieving impartiality in his ideas, his gimmick of Dialectical Materialism played one of the crucial roles in making sure that his ideas are unbiased in every sense of the word. According to him, the concept of dialectical materialism gives two ways to observe an object or an idea: one is to isolate from its spatial and temporal context and to examine it in isolation. And the other is to examine the subject in the context of its surroundings without isolating it. This gives so much clarity and a strong base to his ideas since an object is not only analysed in isolation but analysing it with the context gives a more fundamental understanding and framework that applies to the whole of the society since the idea is now also tested or analysed from a societal lens.
One more important aspect of Marxian theory is his analysis and emphasis on Labour as the means to explain phenomena. His ideas take roots in labour, and basing the whole discussion on Labour as the Species and how anything done to the labour is taken as anything done to the whole society is personally impressive. Marx rightly points out the materialisation and commercialisation of labour which forms the basis of anything produced in the economy. Labour during the Marxian era was limited to production for the Capitalists and how the product of the labour is sold by the capitalists for their own benefit is a careful and clear analysis of the current era.
MARX VALUE THEORIES
Marx theories of value are an exact reflection of the current era, ruled by the capitalists where the commodification of labour and workers is a never-ending sight. Karl Marx turned Nostradamus in predicting the rise of capitalism, and how capitalism in its truest sense will be detrimental to the workers. Marx’s Labour Theory of Value and his Theory of Surplus Value give a clear reflection of today’s world, and the prediction of Marx of today’s world is very relevant, given the kind of world that he lived in, where such revolutions were considered impossible.
In all honesty, Marx’s theories are revolutionary and a breath of fresh air to anyone reading the subject matter of History of economic thought. When various other economists tried interpreting their views on different aspects in economics with the aid of a lot of mathematical and econometric models, the Marxian approach of analysing things and putting forth his views from a highly philosophical and realistic lens is something that I personally look forward to in Marx’s works.
Looking at things from a social angle, as opposed to a scientific approach is highly refreshing, given the multitude of complexities and problems in society. All in All, Marx’s theories and ideologies are a new perspective to looking at the study of all, Economics, Philosophy and Politics.
