Marx vs. Hegel: Materialism, Idealism, and the Dialectic Method

Marx Versus Hegel: Philosophical Differences and Agreements

Key Philosophical Differences

Marxism is Hegelianism inverted. This concept, often summarized as "Marx's Hegel upside down," means replacing Hegel's spiritual and idealistic conception of the reality of man and society with a materialistic conception focused on the history of these same realities.

Marx differs from Hegel in several fundamental aspects:

1. The Nature of the Absolute (Spirit vs. Matter)

   For Hegel, the Absolute is Spirit; for Marx, it is Matter. A fundamental question of all philosophy is whether the subject is a product of the Spirit (Hegelian idealism) or if the spirit is a product of matter (materialism). For Hegel, all things are the result of the process of estrangement of the Absolute. For Marx, all dialectical realities are manifestations of matter.

2. The Conception of Man

   For Hegel, man is right, mind, or spirit form, defined by "self" and freedom. For Marx, man is naturally a being who becomes human through productive activity or work.

3. Philosophy of Law and the State

   As regards the philosophy of law and valuation, Hegel views the state as the perfect embodiment of freedom and rationality. According to Marx, "the existence of the proletariat contradicts the supposed reality of reason, as it represents a whole class that shows the very negation of reason."

4. Interpretation of History

   History, for Hegel, is played out by the Spirit, which is the subject of history moving toward the goals of freedom and self-consciousness. History is interpreted by Marx in economic matters and as "class struggle."

   The End of History for Hegel is the bourgeois German State, where all are free, and the state is the perfect embodiment of rationality because it is the guarantee of individual freedom. For Marx, the end of history is the overcoming of the Bourgeois social formation and the arrival of Communism, in which man surpasses alienations and achieves real freedom and equality, rather than merely formal freedom, as in Hegel.

5. Knowledge and Philosophy

   Marx criticized Hegel's conception of knowledge and philosophy. Hegel belongs to that class of "philosophers who have been limited to viewing the world." Marx, however, understands philosophy as the practice of transforming the world.

Points of Agreement and Dialectics

Hegel's philosophy is ambiguous and therefore gave rise to a double interpretation represented by the Hegelian Right and Left.

• If we insist on the assertion of Hegel that "everything real is rational," we favor a conservative and reactionary interpretation of Hegelian philosophy.
• If we insist on the statement "only the rational is real," we favor a revolutionary interpretation of Hegelian philosophy.

This means that Marx accepts the dialectical conception of Hegel and applies it to reality (dialectical materialism) and, above all, to history (historical materialism).

Dialectics means that contradiction governs the social and historical reality and highlights the need to overcome this contradiction. The revolution is the process required to overcome the contradiction inherent in capitalist bourgeois society. The dialectical conception is the fundamental contribution of Hegelianism that Marxism incorporates.