Karl Marx s The German Ideology - 2228 Words

In The German Ideology, Karl Marx explores and attempts to shape a definition of ideology. Marx says that ideology is the production of ideas, of conceptions, of consciousness, all that men say, imagine, conceive (Blunden). Marx goes on to say that this includes language of politics, laws, morality, religion, metaphysics, etc. (Leitch 655). Subscribing to the idea of base and superstructure, Marx identifies ideology as the superstructure of a civilization. The dominating ideas of a society are what fabricates our conventions and culture. Marx finds, to not much surprise, that the dominant ideas of the time are determined by the dominant, ruling class. Marx claims that the dominant and ruling class is dominant and ruling because of the ideas that are really just an ideal representation of the dominant material relationships. Marx, being a leader in political and economical theory, yearned to understand the structure of ideas that form the ideology of our past and present, and even made predictions for our future. One common theme in ideology of past and present is the idea of a dominant social class over another. In order to keep the lower social class subservient to the upper class, ideology works to obfuscate the exploitation and, in more serious cases, the violence that occurs between the classes. Consider the exploitation that occurred between the slaves and owners in tribal society, the peasantry and nobles in feudal society, and occurs between the proletariatShow MoreRelatedThe Communist Manifesto And Das Kapital1507 Words   |  7 PagesKarl Marx A German philosopher, economist, journalist and revolutionary scientist, Marx was best known for his work in economics. He laid the foundations for today s theories of labor and capital. 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These two men were Karl Marx and Friedrich Nietzsche who pioneered the idea of truths, religion, reality, etc. Karl Marx’s essay, â€Å"The German Ideology,† otherwise known as Marxism, focused upon the materialistic processes that brought life into our world and the abuse of the burgeouse on the proletariat. This theory later went on to found the core beliefs of communism and playedRead More Biography of Karl Marx Essay1255 Words   |  6 PagesBiography of Karl Marx Karl Marx, the author of the Communist Manifesto, is viewed to be one of the greatest social thinkers of his time. His social, political and economical thoughts are still highly regarded today. The life of this man is stamped with many accomplishments and ideas that have been adopted by many prominent figures. As a historian, philosopher, and revolutionary, Karl Marx has helped shaped the society of the past, present and future. Karl Marx was born