Marx's Social, Political, and Ideological Alienation

Social, Political, and Ideological Alienation

Economic alienation derives from other forms of alienation, specifically social, political, and ideological dimensions.

Social Alienation

The configuration of the production process determines the division of society into dominant classes. This division is inherently negative and leads to a situation of confrontation between the classes. While the situation should be equal, this will not be possible without changing the system of capitalist production for another in which no distinction exists between employers and employees.

Political Alienation

Both the state and its legal system exist to safeguard and protect the existing economic system and society. That is why the state is, in fact, a "state in the hands of the bourgeoisie." The proletarian views the state as an enemy, even though the state should be employed by all. For Marx, the state, far from being neutral, favors the ruling class, leaving the weakest to their fate.

Ideological Alienation

The consciousness of human beings depends on the material conditions of life. The proletarian is ideologically alienated because the dominant ideology is that of the dominant class. Both philosophy and religion have helped maintain this alienation:

• Philosophy: It has been devoted to explaining what happens rather than criticizing it; it has always played for the dominant classes. Marx famously stated, "The philosophers have merely interpreted the world in different ways; the point, however, is to transform it."
• Religion: Man projects religion out of this world, promising a fictional world where all evil will be solved. Marx considers religion the "opium of the people." Its role is to serve as a sedative for all revolutionary and emancipatory aspirations of the working class. The church serves this purpose by preaching meekness and resignation, thus becoming an instrument of the bourgeoisie's attempts to suppress the proletariat revolution.

The Emergence of Communist Society

Once a communist society is established, class differences will have disappeared. Workers will be organized in communes of production where everything belongs to everyone. The criterion of justice and allocation will be: "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs." In these classes, there is no difference between the means of production; they are collective, overcoming all forms of alienation. Thus begins the authentic history of humanity.