Alienation Of Humans And Its Negation-on Marx’s Theory Of Alienation

Through his investigation of and research on the living situation of the workers in capitalist countries of their early stage, Marx discovered the alienated conditions of workers in their reality and put forward his theory of alienation. Marx’s theory of alienation has its sources in the theories of Rousseau, Hegel and Feuerbach, as well as in the political economy of Adam Smith.In Marx’s theory of alienation, humans are alienated in the following ways in the capitalist mode of production. First, alienation of the worker from the product of his labor:the more products he makes, the poorer and the cheaper commodity he becomes. Secondly, alienation of the worker from the other people:the relation among human beings is unconcerned and competitive, and the individual is an abstract, lonely and negative one. In addition, the worker produces his relation with people who stands outside the process of production, that is to say, his relation with capitalists. Thirdly, alienation of the worker from his species-essence:his species-essence lies in his self-conscious and creative work, but the worship of money caused by the capitalistic mode of production makes him deviated from valuable, creative and meaningful life, and this is, for Marx, alienation.According to Marx, the roots of alienation are the private ownership of property and the capitalist mode of production. Thus, the way to overcome alienation is to negate the capitalist mode of production, and ultimately, to realize the free and all-round development of human individuality, in consequently socialist and communist societies.Marx’s theory of alienation is still significantly relevant to our present-day social development. A deep understanding of his theory will be helpful for us when we endeavor to reduce the gap between the rich and the poor and realize social justice. It will also be relevant when we attempt, under the guide of Marxist theory and through absorbing the core values of Chinese and Western intellectual heritages, to help the youth establish lofty ideals of life and views of value, and achieve the free and all-round development of their individuality.