marx: the life, the theories, and whether oozing sores were the real

THE BRILLIANT MIND
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ITI EE
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O
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A CLOCKWORK
ORANGE:
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MALCHUCK?
WE FIND OUT!
MARX: THE LIFE,
THE THEORIES, AND
WHETHER OOZING
SORES WERE THE REAL
REASON FOR HIS
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CONTENTS
2
Letter from the Editor
Our Editor writes a message reflecting on the contents of this issue of THE BRILLIANT MIND
3/4
Letters to the Editor
You said it, we put it in. What the readers thought of last month’s issue
6
Socratic Dialogue
What is freedom? Is it a concept even possible? What about political freedom? We discuss this in traditional Socratic dia-
logue structure
7
8-17
Philosophical Film Review: A Clockwork Orange
Is Alex Delarge free or manipulated after he is released from jail after his ‘special’ treatment?
Feature: Karl Marx
The life and times of our favourite communist, also featur-
ing a newspaper article that appeared in the Toronto Star last month
19
Word Jumbles
This month’s jumbles feature Marxism and general phi-
losophy
20
Conference Details
The Communist Conference is back in high demand, get your order forms here
21
Philosophical Cartoons
We make you laugh... and think
22
Merchandise Collection
Clothes, pants and memoribilia that will be in for Christmas
1
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Hello shiny happy people!
How lucky I feel to be part of this magazine on a day to day basis! It’s wonderful seeing
everyone rise up and try to answer the questions of the universe.
This issue is a mix of many things considered philosophic. Of course, there is a Socratic
dialogue in which freedom is discussed. There is also a movie review! The feature article this issue
is all about Karl Marx, one of the most revolutionary philosophers this world has ever seen. I know
that he is my favourite communist. When I was reading his book The Communist Manifesto, which he
co-wrote with Freidrich Engels, I found myself to be drawn into it, although I also found that it was a
very difficult read, and probably only beneficial to those Marxist fanatics and dedicated individuals – and I know that there are many of you that read this magazine!
As I sat at my desk sipping a warm coffee (thank you, Starbucks!) I recalled a conversation I had overheard (yes, overheard, not eavesdropped into) that spoke of God and his role in our
lives. It appeared to be a conversation between a pastor and a man who had lost his way. I began
to think: how many times have we as a population lost our way? With the political reading that has
been at my bedside lately, I thought immediately of the World Wars and the profound impact that
they have had on our family. Our World Wars were both big screw-ups, as far as I’m concerned.
They were blips on our radar. But will belief in a God really help with this? I cannot help but think
that believing in a Supreme Being is not what our country needs. In the past, wars (although not
World Wars) have been justified by this belief or lack of it. I could not help to disagree with what I
had heard the pastor say while I was in Starbucks. What do you guys think?
One of my favourite subjects to philosophize about is determinism. Does everything happen for a reason? It is hard to say. Sometimes you hear people saying that everything happens for
a reason. I must wonder, however, whether everything does actually happen for a reason? It’s like
when you learn a new word. Let’s just say, multiplicity. You find it in an article and look it up in the
dictionary, so that you know exactly what it means. You can’t recall ever seeing that word or having
anyone explain it to you. The following week, someone asks you what that word means, but for a
completely different reason. The knowledge that you have gained comes in handy in this situation.
The action of looking up this word in the dictionary was completely innocent, but it happened for a
reason. The reason was to pass along the knowledge to someone else. It’s situations like that then I
start to believe that everything has a reason, that there is some force controlling what is happening. Everything is predetermined because everything is a link in a chain of continuous (never-ending)
events. What do you think about this? I look forward to your commentary in the form of letters to
the editor in the next issue.
This issue has been researched and put together by a group of highly
specialized individuals. Please mentally thank them and give them a slap on the back
(but no, violence is never the answer) as you read!
2
See you next month!
Lindsay Little-Leering
Dear BRILLIANT MIND,
I found that your most recent edition of
the magazine was a blemish on the face
of philosophers everywhere. Where do
you get off trying to represent Buddhism
as a philosophy? I believe that Buddhism
is solely a mindset and therefore unequal
and inadequate compared to many other
philosophies and philosophers, including
(but not limited to) Marxism and Descartes.
Buddha/Siddhartha is not enlightened, and
the Eightfold Path/the Four Noble Truths
are not essential to happiness! Happiness
is philosophizing, free of mental or physical
barriers. There is no limit to the extent of
philosophy! Please consider this next time
you feature such a blatantly superfluous
article.
-Christian Amman (Kentucky, USA)
e
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a
e Bad
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Th
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Ugly:
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Letters LIANT MIND
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THE B
Dear BRILLIANT MIND,
Your article about Buddha featured in last
month’s edition was fabulous! Being a firm
believer in Buddhism, I found that it was beneficial to me and all of my friends having our
great philosophy be realized throughout the
philosophizing world. I especially liked your expression about Buddhism being “a light at the
end of the tunnel” and “like candy to a child’s
diet”. I completely agree with this approach!
Please continue to include Buddhism-related
articles in future editions. This is my favourite
magazine!
-Jane Abbot (Paris, ON)
Dear BRILLIANT MIND
Your analysis of the quote “There is no good or bad but
thinking makes it so” (Shakespeare) was one that I found
to be profoundly effective on the way I live my life and
the way I view others. Shakespeare is one of the biggest
names in English literature, and he should be one of our
greatest philosophers as well! These words are how I
begin to live my life. I think of life as being a collection of
experiences perceived by the human mind. Shakespeare
appears to agree with me, or at least this quote does!
As I began to contemplate perception and its effect on
our daily lives, I found that there is no good without bad,
because good cannot exist if there is nothing to oppose
it. I found also, however, that things can be good or bad,
depending on who was speaking. An example that I found
for this was 9/11. We considered the people who did it
bad, but these people were also considered to be Freedom Fighters, and of the highest type of good. Thank you
for including this quote, it really helped me expand my
mind’s view.
-Arnold T. Armadillo (Vancouver, BC)
3
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly... continued
Dear BRILLIANT MIND,
Thank you for your blurb on stoic philosophy, albeit
brief. Having spent the majority of my life philosophizing on my porch (along with my friends), I have
determined that stoic philosophy is the philosophy of
kings! In what other environment could one possibly
determine the meaning of life? My friends and I have
spent many hours debating the answer to this question among others. We have found it to be a very
beneficial activity. Thank you for this article, and for
acknowledging stoic philosophy as a true way of life!
-Janine Doyle (Stirling, ON)
Dear BRILLIANT MIND,
The philosophic sex tips provided in the previous two “Philosophers Illustrated” calendars have been horrendous! Normally living by the guidelines provided by these tips, I have
found that the ones that you have offered of late have been
very unsuccessful. I was recently left by my boyfriend of 6
months when I discussed one of the topics that you suggested? Why did this happen? I believe that it was a fundamental
error present in the article. Expect to receive a call from my
lawyer, as litigation is now foremost on my life. I have lost my
boyfriend, but I will be successful in suing your magazine for
wrongfully providing sex tips that were presented as the best
idea at the time. I’ll see you in court.
-Peach April (Toronto, ON)
*Editor’s note: The philosophic sex tips offered in all alternate issues and in the annual “Philosopher’s Illustrated”
calendar are not represented to be true in any form. To avoid
this unfortunate situation, please consult with your partner
before performing any of the moves suggested.
4
Send your letters to:
THE BRILLIANT MIND
Re: The Good, the Bad and the
Ugly
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Stirling, ON
K0K 3E0
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Aristotle in Chanel for THE
BRILLIANT MIND
y.
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FREEDOM
S: Lindsay, what is freedom?
L: Freedom is the ability to make your own decisions
S: So that means that if we can make a choice,
we are free?
L: I believe so, yes.
S: For example, would you consider the choice
to go to the bathroom one that you can only
make if you’re free?
L: Yes, as it is a choice.
S: But what about people living in countries run
by dictatorship? Are they free?
L: No, they are not. They are oppressed politically and socially.
S: But they still make choices, like whether to go
to the bathroom or whether to move. They can
still make rudimentary decisions, therefore, according to your definition, they are free.
L: I see what you mean.
S: Are personal freedom and political freedom
one and the same?
L: No, like in the example that was given about
the people who live in a dictatorship. They have
personal freedom, but they do not have political
freedom.
S: So personal and political freedom must have
two different definitions, correct?
L: Yes.
S: Do both of these definitions involve making
decisions?
L: Yes they do. Liberty of choice is an important
aspect of any type of freedom.
S: Choices are something fleeting. The ensemble
of many choices often leads to destruction.
If personal freedom is making these decisions
which often bring no lasting effects, such as going to the washroom, how does freedom last?
L: Freedom lasts if the decisions one makes are
not contested.
S: But what of the people that live with mental
illnesses. They are put into asylums where their
decisions and actions are unchallenged by
6
Soc
rat
ic D
ial
ogu
e
staff members. According to your definition, these
people are free. Yet, they cannot make decisions
because of scientific inconsistencies and flaws in their
brain functions. So although their decisions go unchallenged, they are not free, as they cannot control
the actions that they are performing. Is this right?
L: This is correct.
S: The problem with this definition is with the fact
that the freedom comes after the action, that the
action itself is not what provides freedom, that it
is other people’s reactions to the decisions that you
make that makes you free.
L: That is a problem, because then it means that
other people control your freedom.
S: Freedom must be something innate, something
that does not involve actions, because actions are
controllable. Freedom cannot be something controllable because it is too easily influenced by external
circumstances. This returns us to our secondary questions: what is personal freedom?, and what is political
freedom?
L: Maybe there is only one type of freedom, personal
freedom? And political freedom is an illusion, or
something unattainable in the modern world, as there
are laws governing the choices made by the citizens,
therefore the citizens can never be free.
S: What is personal freedom, then?
L: Personal freedom is the ability to exist free in your
own mind. This state of existence can eventually be
the cause of actions, but freedom itself is simply a
state of mind, and is uncontrollable by other beings.
S: I agree with that. Then what would you consider
political freedom, and why do you think that there is
an international lack of said political freedom?
L: I would consider it as well to be the ability to exist free, but within your own country. I believe that
everyone has to be equal in order to be free, and that
the laws governing the citizens of any given country
do not allow them to be free. Therefore political freedom is not freedom but is simply a currently non-existent sequel to personal freedom.
S: I fully agree, thank you for this discussion.
A Clockwork Orange
PHILOSOPHICAL FILM REVIEW
A Clockwork Orange is a spectacularly violent movie
that provides much social commentary to the viewers.
Alex Delarge (Malcolm McDowell) is a violent individual who, in a supposedly futuristic Britain, goes on
sadistic rampages every night. His tirades include rape
and beating, during which acts he has three partners in
crime. Along these rampages he treats the other members of his group with extreme cruelty, but is finally
caught after the murder of a woman, and jailed.
His jailing represents a transition in his life. He pretends
to be pious and, after two years, uses his influence with
the priest to allow him to be a guinea pig to a process
of criminal reform known as aversion therapy (called
The Ludovico Technique). This process involves the
patient’s eyes getting propped open and injected with
a substance that incurs nausea. The patient is forced
to watch violent scenes in a large theatre. Association
between violence and nausea begins to occur and the
patients are then believed to be ‘cured’. Delarge is released, but the members of his gang are out to get him.
He attempts to take his own life, leading to the question
of “Was Delarge actually cured?”
There are many philosophical aspects in this movie.
Perhaps the largest is the question of morality. Does this
technique really make a man good? Goodness comes
from within, goodness is chosen. When a man cannot
chose, he ceases to be a man. Assuming that this statement is true, this would verify that Delarge is not in
fact a man. If he ceases to be a man, what is he? He is
simply an object, a puppet controlled by association
with no real associations, only that which has become
inbred to him. It can be argued that Delarge has no real
choice, and is incapable of making moral decisions, and
therefore ceases to be a man, because of this technique
used by the government.
Clearly this movie also discusses what is right and what
is wrong. It was without a doubt wrong the acts that
Delarge was carrying out on the general population.
However, it can also be argued that he was wronged,
first by the technique and then by his ‘brothers’ (other
members of his posse), who hunt him down and attempt
to perform bodily harm upon him. The question is also
raised: is something wrong because it is against society?
The characters in this movie affirm that this is, indeed,
the fact. This question opens up many new doors: there
are many societies, therefore there are variable rights
and wrongs,
Starring Malcolm McDowell, Patrick
Magee, Michael Bates and Warren
Clarke
Novel written by Anthony Burgess
Screenplay written by Stanley Kubrick
Released 1972
RATING: 4 STARS
something like polygamy that is considered in one
society or population can be considered gravely inappropriate in another. Although the society considered it
right that Delarge should be cured, upon his curing he
was still ostracized by society. They did not consider
him cured. To what extent does it take for the society to
accept someone who has wronged them? To what extent
will they wrong the society?
Moreover, where does the instinct for cruelty (for indeed
it is instinct) originate from? Delarge’s parole officer
asks him “You’ve got a lovely home, lovely parents, not
too bad of a brain. Is it some devil that crawls inside of
you?” Is this devil innate or acquired? If it is innate, is
it stoppable? We see that it is when Delarge is supposedly ‘cured’. If it is acquired, it must be cured simply by
removing the bad influence. If this is the case, there is
no reason to put convicted criminals in jails, where they
will be surrounded by other convicts, and a general attitude of melancholy and violence will arise. It is likely
that society goes against remediation when they put
criminals in jail. Rehabilitation is more so the answer,
advocates A Clockwork Orange.
There are many religious associations contained within
A Clockwork Orange. There are many references to
the Church of England, and Jesus is a prominent figure
throughout the movie. Originally Delarge sees himself
in his dreaming as the person who whips Jessus as he
carries the cross. It is after his curing that he begins to
see himself as Jesus. In the opening scenes of the movie,
there is a moment when the camera view of four figures
of Jesus fills the screen. It may be merely a coincidence
that there are four ‘brothers’, and that each brother
matches up with a figure of Jesus…but us at THE BRILLIANT MIND, well, we doubt it!
Making Sense of
FEATURE
“The
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inter
prete phers hav
d
e
vario
us wa the world only
,i
howe
y
ver, t s; the poi n
n
o cha
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t.”
(Thes Karl Mar
es on
x
Feue
rbach
)
8
9 Biography
10 Marxism
11 Historical Materialism
12 Alienation
13/14 Influence
Childhood, Adolescence
and Early Adulthood
In the German Rhineland, Karl Marx was
born on May 5th 1818 to Heinrich and Henrietta Marx. His father was a lawyer in the
town of Trier, who appreciated the works
of Leibnitz, Voltaire, Lessing and Kant, was
considered a docile being. (Berlin 28) His
submissive attitude was a cause of distemper for his eldest son Karl, but also allowed
them to maintain a comfortable relationship until the death of Heinrich. (Berlin 29)
Karl was considered by his father to be “an
unusual and difficult son; with a sharp and
lucid intelligence he combined a stubborn
and domineering temper, a truculent love
of independence, exceptional emotional
restraint, and over all a colossal, ungovernable intellectual appetite.” (Berlin, 28)
Contrastingly to the large influence that
his father held in the young Marx’s life, his
mother played a very small part in his upbringing and was not particularly interested
in the existence of her son. (Berlin 31) Marx
had seven siblings, towards all of whom he
was distinctly apathetic for the majority of
his life.
Academically, Marx was praised as a serious and gifted student at the local high
school in Trier. Although he was mediocre
in mathematics and theology, he took an
especial interest in the arts. Marx was continually praised by his teachers regarding
his essays written about moral and religious
topics. (Berlin 29) He left the high school in
1835 to become a law student at the University of Bonn. (Berlin 33) At this time he
was considered to be the happiest he’d
been, living the typical life of a student.
(Berlin 33) He felt active and academically
challenged, but left the University after a
year, transferring to the University of Berlin. (Berlin 33) This transformation is what
is argued to be the trigger of intellectual
change for Marx – it is at this point that he
began to question and criticize his environment. (Berlin 34)
Marx was most strongly influenced by two
individuals, the first of whom being his
father and the second being a neighbour,
Freiherr Ludwig von Westphalen.
Heinrich Marx, although never considered
a revolutionist, had a large impact on the
works and philosophies of Karl. Heinrich
believed that man is by nature both good
and rational, and that to ensure the fulfillment of these qualities unnatural obstacles
from his path. (Berlin 29) Heinrich believed
these obstacles were social, political,
religious and racial, and that they were
the intention of priests and rulers. (Berlin
29) Heinrich believed that with the elimination of these barriers, man would be
considered politically, legally, socially and
personally equal. (Berlin 30) Although Karl
did not in his later life believe that rational argument was the means to activism,
he maintained rationality of the person.
(Berlin 30) Heinrich believed that society
was progressing to a new age, the age of
equality, which is a belief that is evident
in Karl Marx’s theories. (Berlin 30) What is
considered the principles of philosophical rationalism are what prevented total
submersiveness into metaphysical inquiries,
and kept him interested in social and political reform. (Berlin 31)
The other chief influence of Karl Marx’s later philosophies was his neighbour Freiherr
Ludwig von Westphalen. Westphalen was
a government official who was influenced
by Goethe among others, and was very
interested in Dante, Shakespeare, Homer
and Greek poets. (Berlin 32) Marx’s eventual doctorate thesis would be dedicated
to Ludwig von Westphalen, who showed
him care and compassion throughout his
childhood, providing support and intellectual stimulation when it was distinctly lacking during Karl’s secondary school years.
9
Ma
rxis
m
Marxism is considered to be a system of
economic and social significance, and is
based mostly on the ideas that emerge
from the works of Marx, and also Engels
(to an extent). It relies heavily on class
struggle, and on the analyses of these
struggles in relation to the impact that
they have on Western societies. (AllAboutPhilosophy.org 2007)
In Marx’s school of Marxism, principal
focus is put on the division between social classes. Marxism analyzes mainly the
constant struggle between the proletariat
and the bourgeoisie.
The proletariat is the working class, says
Marx: “the people in the class of modern
wage laborers who, having no means of
production of their own, are reduced to
selling their labor power in order to live.”
(Marx 57) Therefore the bourgeoisie are
those who own the means of production
to hire and exploit the proletariat. (Marxism 2007)
The bourgeoisie is further divided into two
categories: the petit bourgeoisie, who
hire labourers but also work themselves;
and the very wealthy bourgeoisie, who
solely employ labourers and profit from
their work.
Marx also divided the populace into various other classes including the lumpenproletariat (criminals, vagabonds), landlords (a historically important class that
still retains some wealth and power) and
the peasantry and farmers (a class Marx
believed would gradually disappear).
(Marxism 2007)
The division between social groups and
classes is an important one. Marxists believe that this separation results in
10
“The history of all hitherto
existing society is the history
of class struggles.” (Marx 57)
alienation and the depression of the
wage workers. To Marx, the bourgeoisie
was the ultimate evil because of the way
that they treat the proletariat. Marxists
delight in being proletariats (see the article on Marx’s carbuncles: A Comeback
to the ‘Great Man’ Theory?). Eventually
it is believed that an uprising will occur,
a revolution by the proletariat who have
been suppressed for the duration of their
life.
Marxism is now considered a school and a
way of thinking. Many governments such
as China, and, in the past, Russia, refer to
themselves as Marxist/followers of Marxism.
To follow a Marxist way of life, the class
consciousness is a realization to which
one must adhere. “Class consciousness
refers to the awareness, both of itself and
of the social world around it, that a social
class possesses, and its capacity to act
in its own rational interests based on this
awareness.” (Marxism 2007) Thus, in order to obtain the desired uprising of the
proletariat against the bourgeoisie, class
consciousness must be obtained. Verily
is the revolution the fundamental hope
of Marxism: that the proletariat will group
together and revolt against their exploitation. This is known as socialism and communism, and Marxist theorists conclude
that proletariats must work together to
create an equal society for everyone.
Eventually Marist theorists believe that the
control by the bourgeoisie will be overthrown by the proletariat themselves,
resulting in what we now know as communism or socialism.
Historical M
aterialism
It is not the consciousness of men that determines their existence,
but, on the contrary, their social existence that determines their
consciousness. –Karl Marx, Preface to Critique of Political Economy
Historical materialism is one of the major
contributions of Marx, although the term
was never used in his lifetime. To Marx,
the concept was known as “the materialist conception of history.” (Karl Marx) The
principal of Karl Marx’s historical materialism is that human beings cannot survive
without social organization. (Mandel 1995)
Furthermore, humans must work together
to ensure their survival and produce products as a collective. (Karl Marx)
History is therefore a collection of time
periods known as “modes of production”.
These modes, which commenced at the
dawn of human civilization, include:
·
Primitive communism (tribal society)
·
Ancient society (slave owners & slaves)
·
Feudalism (land owners & serfs)
·
Capitalism (capitalists own means of production, distribution and exchange, as well own the working class)
Each mode is one in which people interact with nature and create different
manners in which to generate life. (Karl
Marx) Each mode is not interchangeable
without social revolution on a large scale.
Thus, historical materialism is based on four
fundamental principals:
1.
That human society is centered
around the ability to survive ensured by
the human ability to work with nature.
2.
That social classes are determined
by a division of labour, in which certain
members of society ‘hire’ others.
3.
That the rank of social classes are
different than modes of production.
4.
That changing of the ruling class by
a new class is the cause of changing of
modes of production.
In addition to providing these four concepts, Marx clarified as well his definitions
of materialism, a word that he believed
needed a significantly larger elaboration
than historical.
The first type of materialism is metaphysical or philosophical, in which production
is primary and thoughts about production are secondary. (Karl Marx) There is
also economic materialism, that economic processes “form the material base
of society upon which institutions and
ideas derive and rest.” (Karl Marx) Finally
the last exceptable possible idea of materialism is that “in the capitalist mode of
production, the behaviour of actors in
the market economy (means of production, distribution and exchange) plays a
major role in configuring society.” (Karl
Marx)
Historical Materialism attempts to explain
the origin, functions and future state of
the state through development of social
classes. (Mandel 1995) It also attempts
to explain politics and political activity in
terms of “an expression of social conflicts
centered around different social interests.” (Mandel 1995) This relates back to
the quote associated with Marxism: that
“the history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles.” (Karl
Marx)
11
Marx’s theory of alienation is generally
defied as “in modern industrial production under capitalist conditions workers
will inevitably lose control of their lives by
loosing control over their work. Workers
thus cease to be autonomous beings in
any significant sense.” (Bramann 2007)
Therefore alienation according to Marx is
the separation of the work and products
from the worker, both being taken by the
employer. (Marx 2003)
Alienation is a term first coined by Marx
in his Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844, and used the term in the
sense of alienated labour or economic
alienation. It is a concept that is of considerable importance in his later analyses
of the labour process. (Marx 2003) According to Marx, labour one of the main
differences that separate humans and
other species. Other species reproduce
and produce but it is solely instinct for
that they may survive. (Marx 2003) For
example, ants that build an ant hill act
out of instinct provoked by the need to
survive. Humans are different than ants in
that they are creative beings that labour and act out of passion and interest
as opposed to solely instinct. Marx also
argues that labour is a mental process for
humans – that the process and products
are planned mentally before work is carried out physically. This mental process,
when united with the physical, creates
what Marx considers the essence of human labour.
“The worker sinks to the level
of commodity.” (Karl Marx)
12
Aliena
tion an
d
Aliena
ted Lab
our
There are evidently issues that are affect labour and outcomes of this labour
process in ways that are undesirable.
Capitalism has a large impact on human
labour, and causes alienation. According
to Marx, the labourer creates a product
that generates wealth for the capitalist
instead of the labourer that has created
the product, negatively impacting the
worker. Through the capital created by
the commodity, the worker is dominated
and devalued. (Marx 2003)
How is this alienation? The product of
work takes on its own value and power, becoming a completely separate,
“alien” being.
According to Marx’s Manuscripts there
are four aspects to alienation. (Marx
2003) There will be a separation of the
products created by the labourer, and
the labourer himself or herself. Eventually,
Marx argues that the products workers
create will dominate the workers. (Marx
2003) The next principal is alienation from
the process of production, or from the
work itself. (Marx 2003) The worker, under
capitalism, feels unfulfilled and empty.
(Marx 2003)
Alienation also occurs between humanity
and human potential, according to Marx.
The work is the sole focus of the worker
and his capacity is limited to the fabrication of this product, which leads to the
last aspect, alienation from other persons.
The worker becomes part of a separate
species of labourer, who cannot relate to
the species of human beings.
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Population: 82, 314, 900 (2006 estiFREE COPY OF THE COMMUNIST
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GDP Per Capita: 31, 400$
MANIFESTO by Karl Marx
Currency: Euro
Religion: Predominately Christian
Notable moments in history: First recorded history was in the written documentation with the Romans, around AD 9.
From 843-1806 Germany existed under
the Holy Roman Empire. From 18141871 Germany went through a political
and cultural revolution, and was declared
as the Empire of Germany, a title that
ended in 1918 after Germany was defeated in World War I. Perhaps the most
remembered moment of German history is
the rule of the Third Reich, or Nazi Party,
which lasted until 1945, following World
War II and the suicide of Adolf Hitler.
Since 1945, Germany has lead a relatively peaceful existence.
Inf
lue
Karl Marx has created an echo that still
resounds throughout the world today. He is
arguably the most influential thinker of his
time, and his views and ideas changed the
ways others considered history and social
democracy.
In the political landscape, the first outward
display of Marxism was the October Revolution of 1917 in Russia, led by Vladimir Lenin. This is known as the first large attempt to
put Marx’s ideas about state into practice.
(Karl Marx) As was mentioned previously,
Russia existed in a mode of production, led
by a monarchy. With great social revolution and uproar, this mode of production
was changed to communism (socialism) –
but many people believed that this came
too quickly, that Russia was not ready for
the changing of modes of production. (Karl
Marx) Lenin argued that the Revolution of
Russia was the first step to many countries
adopting Marxist principals. He argued that
the state of communism could not continue to exist without duplication around the
world. Socialist revolution around the world
failed, however, and Russia was left on
its own. (Karl Marx) The USSR was fraught
with political peril for practically the next
century, and was formally renounced as a
socialist state in 1991, denying a relationship with Marxism. (Karl Marx)
Throughout the past century, countries
that identify themselves with communism
and Marxist ideas include (but are not
limited to) the People’s Republic of China,
Vietnam, Romania, Albania, Cambodia,
Ethiopia and Cuba. (Karl Marx) Communism had not existed as an actual political
practice until Marx, which is likely Marx’s
most influential idea. Communism still exists
today in the People’s Republic of China,
controlled by members of the Chinese
Party, which outwardly declare themselves
as Marxist thinkers.
nce
Karl Marx also influenced the way labourers
view themselves and their work. As the first
thinker to address alienation and the effects
that labour has on an individual, he unintentionally was advocating for workers rights.
Marx was explicitly arguing against capitalism but also opened the door for ethics. Is
the way that workers are being treated one
that is fair or unfair? Is it fair that someone
else should receive the largest portion of the
profit for something that a worker created?
Capitalism, Marx argued, caused alienation
of the worker from all persons around him. He
created divergent thinking opportunities for
those who have been oppressed around the
globe.
Marx wished for the lower classes on the
social hierarchy to rise above their poverty
and take the power from the capitalists who
he believed controlled them. This wish was
slightly complicated with the invention of the
middle class, something only to really come
into existence during the 20th century, a
complication that he did not foresee.
Marx created thinking opportunities for the
proletariat, to realize that perhaps they were
being used and dominated by their work
and by the things that they produced. Marx
created awareness within the proletariat,
which is what inspired the numerous political
revolutions of the 20th century.
Marx’s The Communist Manifesto (Manifest
der Kommunistischen Partel) was a hugely
influential piece of writing. Written in three
parts that include: history, importance of
communism, and social ideas of the modern
day, the message in clear: WORKINGMEN OF
ALL COUNTRIES, UNITE!
Marx was a leader of leaders. Through his
outward display of his political and social
beliefs, he is still known today as a revolutionary.
Maybe she’s born with it...
Ha, ha. No one is
that pretty. It’s probably
Maybelline!
FEATURED NEWSPAPER ARTICLE
FEATURE
NEWSPAPER ARTICLE
*Editor’s note: this article was originally published in the Ideas
section of the Toronto Star on Saturday, November 3rd, 2007.
16
FEATURE
NEWSPAPER ARTICLE
17
We’ll follow him... to
whatever end.
Sound familiar?
The Nazis did the same for
Hitler.
Bertrand Russell: the new Hitler.
SMOKING KILLS.
Word Jumbles
CROSSWORD
CONCERNING MARX
TOTRIALERP
SOGRUOIIEEB
XMASMIR
How
the to: Sim
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LCOAIS ROCCMAYED
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IELAICMAHVL
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RLTEUICAHS
BONUS: _ _ _ _ _ _
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USARESUO
ANSWERS:
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19
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“In der wahren Marxisten Mode Zusammen werden wir die Welt regieren, haben als Glei
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20
“In the true Marxist fashion, together we will rule
the world, united as equals!”
PHILOSTOONS
A Collection o
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WORKS CITED
AllAboutPhilosophy.org. What is Marxism, 2007. Online, Internet, December 8th, 2007.
<http://www.allaboutphilosophy.org/what-is-marxism-faq.htm>
Bramann, Jorn. Marx: Capitalism and Alienation, 2007. Online, Internet, December 10th, 2007.
<http://faculty.frostburg.edu/phil/forum/Marx.htm>
Elster, Jon. Making Sense of Marx: Studies in Marxism and Social Theory. Maison des Sciences de l’Homme and Cambridge University Press, 1985.
Historical Materialism, 2007. Wikipedia Online Encyclopaedia. Online, Internet, December 8th, 2007.
< http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_Materialism>
Karl Marx, 2007. Wikipedia Online Encyclopaedia. Online, Internet, December 8th, 2007.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Marx>
Mandel, Ernest. Basic Theories of Karl Marx: Historical Materialism, 1995. Online, Internet, De
cember 8th, 2007.
<http://www.internationalviewpoint.org/spip.php?page=print_article&id+article=282>
Marx, Karl. Ed. by David McLellan. Karl Marx Selected Writings. Oxford University Press, Hong Kong, 1984.
Marx, Karl and Engels, Friedrich. The Communist Manifesto. Simon & Schuster, Inc., USA, 1964.
Marx on Alienation: Sociology 250, 2003. Online, Internet, December 8th, 2007.
<http://uregina.ca/~gingrich/250j2703.htm>
Marxism, 2007. Wikipedia Online Encyclopaedia. Online, Internet, December 8th, 2007.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/marxism>
Morris, Eric. Car Accident Statistics, 2007. Online, Internet, December 13th, 2007.
<http://ezinearticles.com/?Car-Accident-Statistics&id=125450>
23
Every hour, approximately
four people die in a car (or
car-related) accident.
Instead of adding a new
feature, Ford has decided
to spend their innovation
budget not on innovating
but on dispensing advice.
FOLLOW THE
SPEED LIMIT.
It’s the difference between
life and death.