In the social production which men carry on they enter into definite relations that are indispensable and independent of their will; these relations of production correspond to a definite stage of development of their material powers of production. The totality of these relations of production constitutes the economic structure of a society -- the real foundation [base], on which legal and political [and social, cultural, etc.] superstructures arise and to which definite forms of social consciousness correspond. The mode of production of material life determines the general character of the social, political and spiritual processes of life. It is not the consciousness of men that determines their being, but, on the contrary, their social being determines their consciousness. At a certain stage of their development, the material forces of production come into conflict with the existing relations of production, or ... with the property relations within which they had been at work before.... Then occurs a period of social revolution. With the change of the economic foundation [base] the entire immense superstructure is more or less rapidly transformed ... the legal, political, religious, aesthetic or philosophical -- in short, ideological -- forms in which men become conscious of this conflict and fight it out.
Sunday 28 January 2007
Marx, Base and Superstructure
Carefully read the following famous passage from Marx, written in 1859. Pay especial attention to the the words "will," "consciousness," "ideology," and "determines": what becomes of the Cartesian subject in this passage?
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Hello Dr. Murray, Hello CoreCult Colleagues,
for the series "debate, for debate's sake", here is a (prestigious) quote in relation to Marx's system of ideas:
"Marx's Capital is in essence (...) a collection of atrocity stories designed to stimulate martial ardour against the enemy. Very naturally, it also stimulates the martial ardour of the enemy. It thus brings about the class-war which it prophesies. It is through the stimulation of hatred that Marx has proved such a tremendous political force, and through the fact that he has successfully represented capitalists as objects of moral abhorrence. [In fact, the purpose of] the theoretical part of Capital (...) is to make the reader feel that the hatred stirred up in him is righteous indignation, and may be indulged with benefit to mankind." (Bertrand Russell, Sceptical Essays, p.115)
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