Marxist Theories of Alienation and Economics

These flashcards cover key concepts related to Marxist theories of alienation, economics, and social dynamics.

Alienation

A state in which a worker feels disconnected from their essence and identity at work.

Minimum Wage

The lowest remuneration that an employer is legally allowed to pay a worker; serves as the basic survival income.

Species-being

The essence of human nature, characterized by conscious and productive activity.

Bourgeois Economics

Economic theories that support capitalist systems, often leading to overproduction and class struggle.

Proletariat

The working class who sell their labor for wages, often facing exploitation.

Communism

A political theory advocating for the abolishment of bourgeois property and classless society where means of production are communally owned.

Materialism (as per Thesis 3)

The idea that human conditions and circumstances are shaped by material facts, but humans also create their circumstances.

Superstructure

The cultural, ideological, and institutional structures that arise from the economic base in society.

Division of Labor

The specialization of work tasks in a production process, leading to increased complexity in economic relations.

Marketplace of Ideas

A metaphor for the free exchange of ideas, where truth emerges from debate and criticism.

Alienation type 1: Worker and Product

Describes how a worker views their produced items as alien objects that confront and dominate them.

Alienation type 2: Worker and Work

Refers to the disconnect between the worker and the process of production.

Alienation type 3: Worker and Species-being

Illustrates the estrangement between an individual and their inherent productive nature.

Alienation type 4: Worker and Other Humans

Highlights the separation among workers and their communities due to competitive capitalist structures.