_Karl Marx_ A Critique of Liberalism

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Sahar Toshtzar Professor Maher Psci-120 June 14, 2023 Karl Marx: A Critique of Liberalism Introduction: Karl Marx, a well-known philosopher known for his critique of the contradictions of Liberal thought, exposes the underlying flaws that cause inequality and exploitation in capitalist societies. Marx begins his philosophical research in a period where Prussian society has been prosecuting Jewish citizens, causing them to request emancipation from the Christian state. In “The Jewish Question,” Marx critiques Bauers's solution for Jewish emancipation, proposing a secular state in hopes of creating a free and equal society. In this essay, I will examine Marx’s critique of liberalism, focusing on how capitalism leads to inequality and alienation in economic, political, and social aspects, and analyze why the solution Marx proposed is insufficient. The Inadequacy of Political Liberty: True Human Emancipation Marx begins his criticisms of Liberalism by looking at the idea of Jewish emancipation or the difference between religious freedom and restriction. Bauers proposes a solution for the Jews’ requesting emancipation—instead of granting the Jews more rights, he suggests that the state becomes secular to prevent any discrimination based on religion because an atheist state is truly emancipated. Marx critiques Bauers’ solution, thus proposing his own argument and introducing his political theory, later known as Marxism. Marx.begins his critique of Bauer by first acknowledging that Bauer does not distinguish the two types of emancipation: political and human.

Political Emancipation is equal rights and liberties for all within the state. The rights of the people are not tied to their religious identity, status in society, or wealth. Marx notes that Prussia, like most states in Europe, was not politically emancipated because the Jewish people couldn't take part in government nor vote, same with less wealthy individuals. The lack of political emancipation leads people into living “double lives" or a public and private life. A citizen’s publiclife is concerned with the general interest of the whole or the common good. The citizen becomes an “imaginary member” of an “imaginary sovereignty.” Therefore, political life becomes remote from the citizens’ existence, they mold into their role in the community, which often has little active political involvement. In terms of private life, which is the life within “civil society” or the in-between family dynamic and the state, which includes educational access alongside economic and political involvement. Marx provides the United States as an example of true political emancipation. Bauer suggests that no establishment of religion means the people will be atheists—however the United States has not declared a national religion, and enables religious freedom, yet the U.S. is not an atheist society. In Marx’s eyes, the Americas are politically emancipated because there is no established religion, because there is a separation between church and state, making religion removed from politics, therefore, everyone can practice freely and privately. “In the United States, there is neither a state religion nor a religion declared to be that of the majority, not the predominance of one cult over another. The states stand aloof from all cults (p.214).” For Marx, human emancipation, or when the individual becomes a “species-being,” is true emancipation from the state. Species-being refers to humans’ ability to differentiate from other animals, and their ability for conscious, creative, and social labor. “Only when the real, individual man re-absorbs in himself the abstract citizen…has become a species-being in his everyday life…only

when man has recognized and organized his “own powers” as social powers, and, consequently, no longer separates social power from himself in the shape of political power, only then will human emancipation have been accomplished (On the Jewish Question, page. 15).” Marx argues that humans are unlike other animals because we can use our labor to produce goods that transform our surroundings. This want to create is ingrained in human nature, however, under a capitalistic society, unprofitable labor is no longer valuable. Capitalism alienates workers from their labor and therefore their species-being, it turns them into profitable machines that only help capitalism further. Thus, we lose our creative ability because we are too focused on the need to survive by gaining an income. Faults of Liberalism: Liberty, Equality, Property, and Security Marx believed liberalism upholds capitalism as the dominant economic system because it encourages the accumulation of wealth and private property due to its emphasis on individual freedom and the market economy. Marx claimed that the commodification of labor and the exploitation of the working class are the direct results of capitalism's profit-driven nature. “Equality, used here in its non-political sense, is nothing but the equality of the liberté described above – namely: each man is to the same extent regarded as such a self-sufficient monad (On the Jewish Question, page 12).” Marx argued that because the means of production are privately owned under capitalism, the bourgeoisie (the capitalist class) and the proletariat (the working class) have a hostile relationship. “The worker is dependent on the capitalist, but the capitalist has ways of increasing his income while the worker has no way of supplementing his income (cite).” Within capitalist societies inherent inequality exists workers become a commodity and must meet the demands of the capitalists. Marx further criticized the liberal free markets, arguing that they perpetuate economic inequality. While liberalism encourages competition, the system

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concentrates wealth and power in the hands of a select few. Workers are exploited for profit, which results in the accumulation of capital and widening wealth disparities. The liberal idea of economic freedom conceals the working class's underlying exploitation and alienation. Liberalism Leads to Alienation In a capitalistic liberal society, money becomes deified, and commodities are fetishized— profit becomes the main goal. Marx states that liberalism leads to alienation, in terms of production of goods and services, social interaction, and religion. Capitalists created a system of production that alienated us from our labor, lessening our relationships, so we no longer produce goods for self-enjoyment, we produce for the gain of the capitalist. Alienation comes from the intermediates of money; it seems to be self-sufficient and the arbiter of all values. Objectification is the evaluation of an object or person based on one metric— money. This objectification alienates us because our interactions are no longer with the object but with its monetary value. The state is alienating because we are forced to act through the state, and our own will is no longer expressed through us. Commodities are alienating because they’re the only representation of social relationships within society; in capitalist societies, we only connect through forced exchange or buying of commodities. Freedom: Marx vs. Mill: Marx and Mill share a similar belief that progress is attainable, although they approach the concept of freedom from different perspectives. Progress for both philosophies refers to the advancement of the state. Marx's idea of progress is rooted in historical materialism, which says that changes in the economic system drive changes in society's structure, these changes are influenced by technological advancements. For instance, the Industrial Revolution which led to new technology and the replacement of feudalism with capitalism, created new classes such as

the bourgeoisie and proletariat. Thus, Marx's historical materialism asserts the possibility of progress. As humanity is the common element in all economic transformations throughout history, Marx argues that while societal conditions shape individuals, individuals can also shape society. This is significant because once recognized, it empowers humanity to achieve human emancipation by transforming the capitalist economic system. Similarly, Mill acknowledges the potential for progress. However, instead of focusing on economic transformations, Mill highlights progress as the advancement of liberal ideals. He cites the development of religious toleration during the European religious wars as a first step towards embracing the liberal value of freedom of personal beliefs. Furthermore, Mill sees the decentralization of power from small groups to the masses as a catalyst for state transformation. According to Mill, from constitutionalism to representative democracy, liberalism progressively materializes. The argument for Communism: Though not fully developed in these writings, whilst critiquing the commodity culture of the modern capitalist economic system, Marx begins to propose his feelings of better qualities for an economic system. Marx later goes on to write The Communist Manifesto , in which he proclaims that the system of communism is the solution to capitalism's faults. Marx believed that communism can lead to the elimination of the exploitation of workers under capitalism. Instead of the capitalists exploiting the labor of the workers, the means of production are collectively owned, and the principle of “from each according to their ability, to each according to their needs'' would be enacted. Marx also believed that communism would create a classless society, where the rigid divisions between the upper and lower classes would be dissolved. In a communist society, the concept of private property, which he regards as a source of class distinctions would cease to exist—which would lead to a fairer society. Additionally, the

enacting of communism would lead to the abolition of alienation caused by capitalism. The workers will no longer be disconnected from the products of their labor. Communism would allow individuals to have greater control over their labor and products—and thus show genuine social relations. Thus, Marx believed that communism stood for the next stage of social development, where the contradictions of capitalism are resolved, and a more fair and just society appears. Faults of Marx’s Argument for Communism Though I agree that our Capitalistic economic system is exploitative and creates inequality in terms of social class, I don’t agree with Marx’s argument for a communist society. By abolishing private property and personal gain, communism weakens the motivation for individuals to work hard, innovate, and take risks. The absence of material rewards and inability to accumulate wealth can undermine productivity and economic growth. I think that his argument against commodity culture is well founded, however, removing rewards would be another extreme. Furthermore, the complexity of coordinating production across an entire society without the guidance of market mechanisms can lead to inefficiencies of resources. Additionally, the concentration of power is in the hands of the ruling party or a small elite. The absence of checks and balances, coupled with the potential for corruption and abuse of power, poses a significant risk to the well-being and autonomy of citizens. Communism's historical track raises serious concerns about its success—like with the Soviet Union. In summary, the lack of individual incentives, the difficulties of centralized planning, the concentration of power, and the historical failures of communist regimes all contribute to the argument against communism as an effective socioeconomic system.

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_Karl Marx_ A Critique of Liberalism

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