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Single Idea 5300

[filed under theme 1. Philosophy / D. Nature of Philosophy / 5. Aims of Philosophy / a. Philosophy as worldly ]

Full Idea

The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways; the point is to change it.

Gist of Idea

Philosophers have interpreted the world, but the point is to change it

Source

Karl Marx (Theses on Feuerbach [1846], §XI)

Book Ref

Marx,K./Engels,F.: 'The German Ideology', ed/tr. Arthur,C.J. [Lawrence and Wishart 1985], p.123

A Reaction

The 'point' of what? Personally I am more with Aristotle - that the aim is to create a society in which we can all aspire to contemplate like gods. As an interim statement of aim, though, one must respect Marx. But was he a philosopher?

The 31 ideas from Karl Marx

21995 Must production determine superstructure, or could it be the other way round? [Singer on Marx]
20577 Even decently paid workers still have their produce bought with money stolen from them [Marx]
21996 Freedom only comes when labour is no longer necessary [Marx]
22000 From each according to his ability, to each according to his need [Marx]
22969 People who only have their labour power are the slaves of those permitting them to work [Marx]
22972 Bourgeois 'freedom of conscience' just tolerates all sorts of religious intolerance [Marx]
22971 In moving from capitalism to communism a revolutionary dictatorship of the proletariat is needed [Marx]
22970 Freedom is making the state subordinate to its society [Marx]
22001 The real will of the cooperative will replace the 'will of the people' [Marx]
21991 The middle class gain freedom through property, but workers can only free all of humanity [Marx, by Singer]
7128 Religion is the opium of the people, and real happiness requires its abolition [Marx]
21990 Theory is as much a part of a revolution as material force is [Marx]
20519 Marxists say liberal rights are confrontational, and liberal equality is a sham [Marx, by Wolff,J]
21989 Man is dominated by money, which is the essence of his alienation [Marx]
21994 The handmill gives feudalism, the steam mill capitalism [Marx]
22598 The authentic self exists at the level of class, rather than the individual [Marx, by Dunt]
5297 Whether human thinking can be 'true' must be decided in practice, not theory [Marx]
5298 The human essence is not found in individuals but in social relations [Marx]
5299 Religious feeling is social in origin [Marx]
5300 Philosophers have interpreted the world, but the point is to change it [Marx]
23874 Armies and businesses create moralities in which their activity can do no wrong [Marx, by Weil]
20576 Early Marx anticipates communitarian objections to liberalism [Marx, by Oksala]
18662 Liberal freedom is the right to be separate, and ignores the union of man with man [Marx]
23862 By saying the material dialectic of history aspires to the best, Marx agreed with capitalism [Weil on Marx]
21999 False consciousness results from concealment by the superstructure [Marx, by Singer]
23875 Marx says force is everything, and that the weak will become strong, while remaining the weak [Weil on Marx]
20958 Capitalism changes the world, by socialising the idea of a commodity [Marx, by Bowie]
23876 The essence of capitalism is the subordination of people to things [Marx, by Weil]
20960 Marx thought capitalism was partly liberating, and could make labour and ownership more humane [Marx, by Bowie]
18653 Marx rejected equal rights because they never actually treat people as equals [Marx, by Kymlicka]
23372 Liberals want the right to be separate, rather than for people to be united [Marx]