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Chapter 7
KARL MARX (C. A. D. 1818 - 1883)

7.1. The life and Works of Marx

Karl Marx was born in Treves in the

Rhineland [Germany]. His family was Jewish
but had converted to Lutheranism when he
was a child. He later studied law in Bonn and
philosophy and history in Berlin. During his
undergraduate studies, he identified himself
with the left wing of the Hegelians. He was
known as a militant atheist forming the credo:
“Criticism of religion is the foundation of all
criticism.” He received his doctorate in Jena in
1841 for his thesis on the materialistic
philosophies of the Greek philosophers Epicurus and Democritus. This
added support for Darwin’s evolutionary origins of human life as a
product of a material world. In Paris, he became friends with Friedrich
Engels (1820—1895), social scientist, political theorist, co-authored The
Communist Manifesto with Marx, co-father of Marxist Theory. Marx
was a German revolutionary socialist and was one of the most influential
of all modern atheists adopting the atheism of fellow student, Ludwig
Feuerbach (1804—1872).
Though Marx is mostly known for his economic theory studies,
philosophy did play a part in his economic synthesis. By virtue of his
influence, Marx could be included with other great social thinkers, such
as Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, and Hegel.
Marx eventually lived later part of his life in London being supported
financially by Engles and is buried there. Marx lived a life of poverty
not holding down permanent employment. He had a chronic illness and
was saddened by the death of his three children. He spent a great deal of
time in the British Museum gathering material for his great work on his
analysis of capitalism. He was only able to publish one volume of Das
Kapital in 1867. Engles constructed two other volumes from
posthumous papers.

Marx’s numerous works include: Economic and Philosophic

Manuscripts of 1844 which is about French socialism, English
economics, and German philosophy. The Communist Manifesto (1848)
was co-authored with Friedrich Engels along with Basic Writings on
Politics and Philosophy (ed. 1959) and the Holy Family (1956). He also
penned Selected Writings in Sociology and Social Philosophy (trans.
1956).
Marx was the source of historical materialism but it was Engles who
developed the dialectical materialism as a metaphysics or the theory of
reality. Marx, like many Germans in his day, remained under the
influence of Hegel. However, as time went on, Marx adhered to more to
historical and economic knowledge rather than any metaphysical or
moral critique associated with capitalism. He sought after the factual and
scientific aspects.
7.2. The Philosophy of Marx

His View on God

Marx strongly rejected religion concluding that it was harmful, calling it
“the opium of the people.” He thought that because men believed in the
supernatural afterlife that this provided an excuse for the exploitations
found in this life because they did not concern themselves with the cares
of this world based upon the better world to come. Marx thought they
should be concerned with the affairs of this life. He also thought that
economic and material forces dominated this present world.
Marx drew three principles from his atheist friend Ludwig Feuerbach.
First, “man is the highest essence for man” (Marx and Engels on
Religion, 50). This means there is a categorical imperative to overthrow
anything—especially religion—which debases humanity. Secondly,
“Man makes religion; religion does not make man” (Marx and Engels
on Religion, 41). Religion is the self-consciousness of the human being
who feels lost without some identification with a “God.” Third, religion
is “the fantastic reflection in men’s minds of those external forces which
control their daily life, a reflection in which the terrestrial forces assume
the form of supernatural forces” (Marx and Engels on Religion, 147). In
short, God is a projection of human imagination.

The Marxist evolutionary concept of the universe is that there is no room

for a Creator or a Ruler. Deism’s Supreme Being is according to Marx a
contradiction in terms. The only function that God serves is to make
atheism a compulsory article of faith and prohibit religion generally
(Marx and Engels on Religion, 143). Marx even went so far as to reject
agnosticism: “What, indeed, is agnosticism but, to use an expressive
Lancashire term, ‘shamefaced’ materialism? The agnostic conception of
nature is materialistic throughout” (Marx and Engels on Religion, 295).
In the end, religion will die and eventually be replaced by socialism.
His View on Man
Though he supported the materialism of Darwinian thought, Marx did
not deny the concept of the mind altogether. However, he believed that
even the mind was determined by material conditions. He states that
“For us, mind is a mode of energy, a function of brain; all we know is
that the material world is governed by immutable laws, and so forth”
(Marx, Marx and Engels on Religion, 298). This view fits well with
those philosophers who are aligned with call epiphenomenalism;
consciousness is nonmaterial but is dependent on material things for its
existence.
His View of Society
Marx was more interested in the social being of man. When it came to
the obvious physical needs of man, he believed that what was true for
man in the present social arena was also true for all men at all times in
all places. He held to the concept of the working man but he did not
believe in the concept of private property. When men own their own
property, they have a tendency to become alienated from the rest of
society. To cure man’s leaning and personal desire finding fulfillment in
personal ownership, Marx proposed a future communist society where
man would work for the good of the whole and thus find his personal
fulfillment in this venue. In such a society it would be each according to
his need, not each according to his ability.
His View of Ethics
It follows that the Marxist ethic is relativism, utilitarianism, and
collectivism. His relativism points to no moral absolutes (following
Nietzsche) because there is no external (or inner) set of rules dictated by
an ‘eternal realm.’ The notions of good and evil are then determined by

the socio- economic structure—the struggles of the ‘class’ determine

ethics. The utilitarian concept in the communist society promotes the
ultimate good for the society. Therefore, the utilitarian end justifies
the means to getting there. And finally, the collectivism of Marxist
thought believed that the perfect life is only possible when the individual
is integrated into the whole of society under corporate and universal law.
His View of History
According to Marx history primarily moved by economic laws that are
inexorable as physical laws. At the heart of this movement is the Marxist
dialectic which operates when the thesis of capitalism is opposed by the
ant-thesis of socialism and eventuates in the synthesis of communism.
Thus, his ultimate goal of a Communist Utopia was the end toward
which he made his ultimate commitment.
7.3. Brief Evaluation of Marx

Critics of Marx, while admiring his social goals, have been strong in
insisting his means of attaining it were seriously lacking. Several
significant points have been made. First, his atheism are subject to the
same criticism as those of his mentor, Ludwig Feuerbach (see). Second,
Marx social consciousness was derived, not from his atheism of
materialism but from is Judeo-Christian training and culture. Third, his
linear view of history—that it was moving toward and ultimate Goal—
was also borrowed from Christianity. Fourth, Marx’s ultimate
commitment to this communist utopia is a religious one (as Tillich
noted). Indeed, it is an illusory paradise, not supported by the reality of
those who have attempted it (e.g., Russia and China). Fifth, his attempt
to overcome the gap of the rich- getting-richer and the poor-becoming-
poorer is not the only solution to the problem. In the ancient Jewish
economy, this division was checked by the year of Jubilee (one year
every half century) when acquisitions were returned to their original
owners. Sixth, his deterministic view and anticipations for the future had
not worked out as he had planned. His assumption that economic
influences would work like physical laws was incorrect. Seventh, his
materialistic/evolutionary ideals ignores the spiritual and religious
aspects of humans made in the divine image. It also ignores the
immaterial aspects of human being and, coupled to his anti-
supernaturalism, rules out the possible of an active God. Eighth, his
moral relativism is self-destructive.