The Alienated Labor Theory Of Karl Marx And Its Contemporary Influence

As a basic category of philosophy, lianatio, a Latin word which was translated into English called alienation, has a special implication means "assignment" or "detachment". Alienation was presented most early in sociology and political science, but many philosophers used it as a philosophy category by giving it particular philosophical connotation. In philosophy, alienation reflects the situation in which the subject produces or splits the object as an opposite alien existence and power in the process of self-development. Inheriting German classical philosophy and classical political economics, Marx investigated the capitalist economic in practical situations and raised the alienated labor theory. Alienated labor theory plays a very important role in Marx’s philosophical system. In1844Manuscripts, Marx made a systematic exposition and analysis about the cause and four manifestations of alienated labor. Through the deep research on this theme, Marx shifted the angle on alienated labor from "contradictions of individual class" into "contradictions between productive forces and production relations" and put the study on the nature of human being on the basis of reality, then found the determinative factor of social relations-Productivity. For the first time, Marx discovered the rule of the dialectical movement between productive forces and production relations and applied it to illustrate the reason behind the replacement of the social structure and social patterns. Therefore, alienated labor theory made the foundation of historical materialism of Marx to a certain degree. Moreover, in the West, Marx’s labor theory of alienation has become a weapon which Marxists used to criticize the reality. Besides, for analyzing and solving many contemporary problems in China, Marx’s alienated labor theory still has enlightening sense.Around the interpretation of "alienation", this paper is divided into four parts, briefly summarized as follows:introduction, theory of alienation, alienated labor and contemporary value of the alienated labor.The first part is about the reason of choosing the topic, research status, main ideas, structural arrangements, research methods and ideas. The second part describes the history of alienation as a philosophical concept, focusing on the ideological sources and the historical development of Marx’s alienation theory. The third part analyzes the background, definition, causes, manifestations, attributes and limitations of alienated labor. And with the exposition of Western Marxists we discuss the impact of alienated labor on Western Marxists. The forth part analyzes the alienation in Chinese society with a stress on the contemporary significance and instructive value of alienated labor theory.