Karl Marx’s Views on Family Ethics

1179 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Capitalism vs communism

Karl Marx’s Views on Family Ethics

Karl Marx and Frederick Engels

Karl Marx devoted much of his time to the study of morality, better known as ethics. Karl Marx was a firm believer in Communism and he authored the Communist Manifesto, along with Frederick Engels. Family ethics is an issue dealt with by Karl Marx in his teachings and writings. According to Marx and his co-author, Engels, morality is the slave of interest. Moral codes and ethics are believed to be dependent on the person and relative to the social setting.[1] Ethics are discussed on a philosophical level and also in everyday controversial topic discussions or debates.

Marx was a huge supporter of freedom and believed that freedom was a result of the Communist party and its beliefs. Karl Marx had little faith in the future of Capitalism and the system of Monarchy, and he believed that once these two ideas of politics were eliminated, Communism would move in and replace the wrong thoughts instilled with Capitalism and Monarchy, and provide the world with sense and reason. Stating his feelings clearly in the Communist Manifesto, Karl Marx noted that the selling point in the economy should be the people themselves, not the working labor, money, or rent from the property.[2] To supplement these theories, Marx proposes an end to the problem of men and their activities, which is to direct men’s attention on the economy so that there could be prevailing freedom. There are some discrepancies in Marx’s theories, like the question of what else has an impact on freedom. There are other issues, but the issue remains that people are unaware if freedom ethics applies to all people and how it affects the modern society.

...

... middle of paper ...

...roposal for the world and Communism was too far-fetched and would not work. Every time there has been a push towards Communism, it has always failed. There have been several unsuccessful attempts, all ending in a problematic dictatorship. While he did realize freedom was a major issue, he lacked in knowledge that family life was also significant.

Notes

[1] Kamenka, Eugene. Marxism and Ethics. New York: W.D. Hudson, 1969 - Pg. 4.

[2] Kamenka, Eugene. Pg. 13.

[3] Heyer, Paul. Nature, Human Nature, and Society. Greenwood Press, 1982 – Pg.126.

[4] Heyer, Paul. Pg. 125.

[5] Heyer, Paul. Pg. 127

[6] Kamenka, Eugene. Pg. 26.

[7] Kamenka, Eugene. Pg. 49.

[8] Kamenka, Eugene. Pg. 51.

[9] Koren, Henry. Marx and the Authentic Man. Pittsburgh, PA, 1967 – Pg. 33.

[10] Koren, Henry. Pg. 67.

[11] Koren, Henry. Pg. 68.

Show More
Related

  • Compare And Contrast Marlart Mill And Karl Marx

    949 Words  | 2 Pages

    Somewhat like Mill, Marx’s idea of communism states that women and children will be relieved of their lives as “simple articles of commerce…[and] mere instruments of production” (Marx 173), and be given more freedoms under his political ideology. Despite these few similarities, the principles of Marx and Mill could not be any more different. As part of The Communist Manifesto,

    Read More

  • Mead And Marx's View On Human Nature

    1311 Words  | 3 Pages

    Marx believes there is a true human nature, that of a free species being, but our social environment can alienate us from it. To describe this nature, he first describes the class conflict between the bourgeois and the proletariats. Coined by Marx, the bourgeois are “the exploiting and ruling class.”, and the proletariats are “the exploited and oppressed class” (Marx, 207). These two classes are separated because of the machine we call capitalism. Capitalism arises from private property, specialization of labor, wage labor, and inevitably causes competition.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Karl Marx's Writing Of The Communist Manifesto

    2472 Words  | 5 Pages

    Karl Marx 's writing of ‘The Communist Manifesto’ in 1848 has been documented by a vast number of academics as one of the most influential pieces of political texts written in the modern era. Its ideologically driven ideas formed the solid foundation of the Communist movement throughout the 20th century, offering a greater alternative for those who were rapidly becoming disillusioned and frustrated with the growing wealth and social divisions created by capitalism. A feeling not just felt in by a couple of individuals in one society, but a feeling that was spreading throughout various societies worldwide. As Toma highlights in his work, Marx felt that ‘capitalism would produce a crisis-ridden, polarized society destined to be taken over by

    Read More

  • An Analysis Of Karl Marx And Communist Manifesto

    846 Words  | 2 Pages

    In conclusion, Marx may have been right about many things, but he was also wrong about a lot more. Everyone looks at Karl Marx as this terrible person for coming up with communism, however no one realizes that the true Marxist ideas have never been brought to life. People like Lenin have interpreted Marx’s beliefs in their own way, and have ultimately turned the whole idea into one that everyone shakes their head at. Personally, I think Marx should have spent a little less time criticizing capitalism, and a lot more time trying to figure out how to replace it.

    Read More

  • The Communist Manifesto

    561 Words  | 2 Pages

    Karl Marx is living in a world he is not happy with, and seems to think that he has the perfect solution. I am a strong believer in his ideas. We are living in a time period with a huge class struggle. The Bourgroise exploits and the proletariat are being exploited. Marx did not like the way this society was and searched for a solution. Marx looked for “universal laws of human behavior that would explain and predict the future course of events" (36). He saw an unavoidable growth and change in society, coming not from the difference in opinions, but in the huge difference of opposing classes. He speaks of his ideal society and how he is going to bring about this utopia in his book The Communist Manifesto. I am going to share with you more on his ideas of this “world-wide revolution” (36) that would put an end to social classes and allow people to live with equal sharing which would result in a harmonious and much peaceful world.

    Read More

  • Differentiating Marx and Rousseau

    2202 Words  | 5 Pages

    In his Manifesto of the Communist Party Karl Marx created a radical theory revolving not around the man made institution of government itself, but around the ever present guiding vice of man that is materialism and the economic classes that stemmed from it. By unfolding the relat...

    Read More

  • Capitalism In The Communist Manifesto

    1110 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Communist Manifesto was published in 1848, a period of political turmoil in Europe. Its meaning in today’s capitalistic world is a very controversial issue. Some people, such as the American government, consider socialism taboo and thus disregard the manifesto. They believe that capitalism, and the world itself, has changed greatly from the one Marx was describing in the Manifesto and, therefore, that Marx’s ideas cannot be used to comprehend today’s economy. Others find that the Manifesto highlights issues that are still problematic today. Marx’s predicative notions in the Communist Manifesto are the key to understanding modern day capitalism.

    Read More

  • Karl Marx on Estranged Labor

    1357 Words  | 3 Pages

    how it limits freedom. For Marx man's freedom is relinquished or in fact wrested from his

    Read More

  • Karl Marx And The Communist Manifesto

    1347 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...nt the works of Marx. The result became a system where emotion triumphed over practicality, and the central message was blurred by the overthrow of the old regime. Thus, Lenin followed Marx in the general ideas of socialism, where everyone was equal under the law, and worked for each other and the common good. While Lenin’s system did manage to create a proletariat class, it also evoked the formation of the corrupt and power hungry Bolshevik Party. With regard to the Populists and Anarchists, Lenin was transformed into a revolutionary who would not stop at anything in the pursuit of Communism. Furthermore, Lenin followed to a lesser extent the Social Democrats and their views on the threat of the peasantry if they were not properly maintained. It is clearly evident that in following other philosophies, Lenin mutated Communism into a form unrecognizable to true Marxism

    Read More

  • Marx, Weber, Durkheim, and Simmel: The Relationship between Society and the Individual

    3473 Words  | 7 Pages

    Karl Marx noted that society was highly stratified in that most of the individuals in society, those who worked the hardest, were also the ones who received the least from the benefits of their labor. In reaction to this observation, Karl Marx wrote The Communist Manifesto where he described a new society, a more perfect society, a communist society. Marx envisioned a society, in which all property is held in common, that is a society in which one individual did not receive more than another, but in which all individuals shared in the benefits of collective labor (Marx #11, p. 262). In order to accomplish such a task Marx needed to find a relationship between the individual and society that accounted for social change. For Marx such relationship was from the historical mode of production, through the exploits of wage labor, and thus the individual’s relationship to the mode of production (Marx #11, p. 256).

    Read More

  • Critical Analysis Of The Communist Manifesto

    1432 Words  | 3 Pages

    He answers criticisms with only one possible route of action and one possible outcome. In his mind, a communist society would easily become a utopia. However, a look at the countries in the world today who attempted communism will shows failures across the board. Those among the proletariat who rose up to lead the rest against the bourgeoisie became the leaders of the countries and enjoy the same decadence and superiority that they sought to abolish. Soviet Russia under Joseph Stalin was a bloodbath. Mao’s Red China was a hotbed of human rights violations. Cuba under Castro was a system of corruption. All were absolute dictatorships in which the proletariat had no say, the same as

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Manifesto Of The Communist Party By Karl Marx

    1285 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Manifesto of the Communist Party is a call to political action by the working class. German philosopher Karl Marx (May 5, 1818-March 14,1883) advocates a revolution of the working class, which involves a turn to communism in order for the working class to gain their financial and political freedom from the hands of the bourgeoisie. Karl Marx, in the Manifesto of the Communist Party, criticizes capitalism and places a deeper focus on class struggle. He offers suggestions that the working class should make in rebellion against the bourgeoisie class. In order for the proletariats to gain their financial freedom, Karl Marx asserts that the workers of the world must adopt a society of communism.

    Read More

  • The Political Philosophy of Karl Marx

    2291 Words  | 5 Pages

    Karl Marx was a German philosopher and political theorist. He developed the socio-political theory of Marxism. One of his most famous works is The Communist Manifesto that he co-wrote with Friedrich Engels. In The Communist Manifesto, Marx discusses his theories on society, economics and politics. He believed that “all societies progress through the dialectic of class struggle”. He criticized capitalism, and referred to it as the "dictatorship of the bourgeoisie". Marx believed that capitalism was unfair because the rich middle and upper class people manipulated the system and used it for their own benefit while we get the short end of the stick. We, being average Americans— like myself— who go to college full-time, juggle a job, and yet are constantly struggling just to make ends meet: the unappreciated, exploited and underpaid every day h...

    Read More

  • Karl Marx and His View on Religion

    1190 Words  | 3 Pages

    Karl Marx, the founder and main advocator of his Marxist philosophy, wrote the Communist Manifesto in 1848. This document was the basis for all of his thoughts and ideas of the world at the time being. One of the major topics that he spoken on was how religion affected the society and how it was an institution that was not actually necessary to exist.

    Read More

  • Marxism And Marxism

    1266 Words  | 3 Pages

    He saw communism as a way for all people to be truly free and equal. There would be no more class discrimination and everyone would have resourced based on what is needed. He exclaimed that communism would give individuals the freedoms that the bourgeoisie denied them. While this is what Karl Marx predicted and believed would be successful, the reality over time has taken a much different path proving that Marx’s ideas cannot be accurately applied

    Read More

More about Karl Marx’s Views on Family Ethics

Open Document