What did Marx mean by ‘alienation’?
This week’s readings take us from the theories of a young Karl Marx to the Frankfurt School, a group of scholars writing in the mid- to late-20th century who attempted to revisit and update Marx’s theory of modernity.
For this week’s discussion, I want you to answer as many of the following questions as you can:
First, what did Marx mean by ‘alienation’? According to Marx, is a modern worker more alienated than a worker in the past? What’s so bad about alienation? Can you see any of your own work experiences in Marx’s theory of alienation?
Second, what did Marx’s theory get wrong? Based on your answer, how do the members of the Frankfurt School revise Marxist theory? Then, consider the specific case of revolution. Marx predicted that capitalism would end after a violent worker’s revolution. Based on your reading, do you think the Frankfurt School would agree? Is revolution possible in a mass society? Why or why not? Are contemporary workers more or less alienated than they were in Marx’s time? Finally, do you agree with the Frankfurt School’s diagnosis of contemporary society? Why or why not?
Sample Solution