The founders of Marxism became odious and politicized figures, heroes of pamphlets and caricatures. Therefore, it is worth remembering what they really thought, and not what they are attributed to. Let us briefly describe the main ideas of Marxism. Moreover, there are enough sources. This philosophical current was born not in an empty place. He was influenced by the theories of Hegel and Feuerbach, as well as other representatives of the German classical school of thought.
Marxism: basic ideas and concepts
First of all, one of the main theories of Marxism is the recognition of the existence of social progress. The driving force of it is called economics. The main characteristic of a person as a being is the existence of labor, practice. The latter is aimed at the transformation of nature and society. In fact, practice is the basis of history, as well as its meaning. Since the basic ideas of Marxism were the spread of materialism to social life, then the understanding of history in it was appropriate. Primary in society is practice, it also acts as a criterion for the correctness of any theory.
The basic ideas of Marxism and materialism in history
Not concepts and theories are the source of life. They only reflect it, sometimes it is true, and sometimes it is distorted. Their totality is called ideology, which can both help public development and hinder it. The cause of the processes occurring in the society are people. They come into contact with each other to meet their needs. And since the material desires are primary: to eat, sleep, and so on - and then to philosophize, the main relations between people are labor, production. Therefore, when studying history, it is necessary to pay attention to the basis of social life. And this is the level of the mode of production, the basis of the whole society. Economic relations are the basis of any state. They correspond to a certain level of legal, political ties, as well as the state of public consciousness. This is what Marx called the superstructure. All together is a socio-economic formation that changes when moving to a new mode of production. It is often carried out in a revolutionary way if there is an acute conflict between groups of people who differ in relation to property, that is, classes.
The basic ideas of Marxism and the problem of man
There is a reason that becomes the main factor in the political struggle. This is private property. It generates not only injustice in society, but also alienation between people. There are several forms of this phenomenon. Alienation can be from the products of production, from labor itself, and, finally, from each other. The need (in fact, coercion) to work leads to an increased desire to have (possess). The only way that Marx saw from this situation was the emancipation of man, the creation of such conditions, when he could work not out of need, but into pleasure. Then people from beings who seek to possess will turn into real humanists. But the philosopher believed that this way is rooted in the political solution of the question: the destruction of private property through the revolution of the proletariat and the onset of communism. True, it should be said that Marx and Engels, with their precise and systematic analysis of the contemporary economy and social relations, very vaguely saw the prospect of building such a society. They rather put him forward as an ideal. The practical theory of revolution and communism was born not by classical Marxism. The main ideas briefly analyzed in this article were inherited by many political and philosophical currents and used both for the benefit of mankind and for harming it. But this is a completely different story.