A Comparative Study Of Marx's Concept Of Labor And Arendt's Concept Of Actio

The concept of labor is the most fundamental and important part of Marx’s whole ideological system.Marx used labor to reveal the alienation of the early capitalist society,which provided a strong support for the analysis of the poverty of workers under the capitalist mode of production.On this basis,he explained the nature of human beings and established the ultimate concern for realizing the freedom and liberation of human beings.Arendt made a thorough interpretation of Marx’s concept of labor,redefined the concept of labor in his works,and creatively put forward the theory of action.In Arendt’s view,labor is an inevitable and compulsory activity,and action is a positive activity after overcoming labor defects,which is the true embodiment of human nature.In fact,Marx and Arendt’s different interpretations of the concept of labor,in the final analysis,are based on their different philosophical starting points,and Arendt’s interpretation and criticism of labor is still a misunderstanding.Starting with Marx’s concept of labor and Arendt’s concept of action,this paper tries to sort out the opposite parts of their thoughts,on the one hand to restore the real value of Marx’s labor theory,on the other hand to grasp the limitations of Arendt’s theory of action.The first part introduces the historical background and theoretical source of Arendt’s concept of action and Marx’s concept of labor,and points out their different philosophical starting points.The second part starts with Arendt’s critical interpretation of Marx’s concept of labor,systematically introduces the influence of Marx’s concept of labor on Arendt and Arendt’s interpretation of the concept of labor,and concludes the consistency of the two ideas.The third part is based on Arendt’s misinterpretation of the concept of labor,to explore the causes of its misinterpretation,and to reveal the ideological differences and opposition between the two.The fourth part is an analysis of Marx’s concept of labor and Arendt’s concept of action,which reveals the contemporary value of their thoughts and the limitations of Arendt’s theory of action from an objective point of view.