Ideas from 'The German Ideology' by K Marx / F Engels [1846], by Theme Structure

[found in 'The German Ideology' by Marx,K./Engels,F. (ed/tr Arthur,C.J.) [Lawrence and Wishart 1985,85315-217-9]].

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1. Philosophy / D. Nature of Philosophy / 3. Philosophy Defined
Philosophy is no more than abstractions concerning observations of human historical development
                        Full Idea: When reality is depicted, philosophy as an independent branch of knowledge loses its medium of existence. At best it is a summing up of general results, abstractions which arise from observation of the historical development of man.
                        From: K Marx / F Engels (The German Ideology [1846], §1.A)
                        A reaction: This strikes me as nonsense, based on a bogus Hegelian notion that history is following some sort of pattern, and that mental reality is fixed by physical conditions. The philosophy of mathematics, for one, won't fit into this definition.
7. Existence / D. Theories of Reality / 6. Physicalism
Philosophical problems are resolved into empirical facts
                        Full Idea: Every profound philosophical problem is resolved quite simply into an empirical fact.
                        From: K Marx / F Engels (The German Ideology [1846], §1.B)
                        A reaction: This shows that empirical accounts of metaphysics are not just a branch of British empiricism, but are a basic fact of any materialist view of the world. The influence of David Hume, however, hovers behind this Marxist doctrine.
15. Nature of Minds / B. Features of Minds / 1. Consciousness / a. Consciousness
'Society determines consciousness' is contradictory; society only exists in minds
                        Full Idea: In the Marxist formula 'social existence determines consciousness' there are more contradictions than words. Since 'social' can only exist in human minds, 'social existence' is already consciousness. It cannot determine consciousness, which is undefined.
                        From: comment on K Marx / F Engels (The German Ideology [1846]) by Simone Weil - Fragments p.126
                        A reaction: I'm not convinced that society only exists in minds. Many children in Victorian London had never heard of 'London', but that didn't stop it existing. Our problems are often social substrata of which we are unaware.
Life is not determined by consciousness, but consciousness by life
                        Full Idea: Life is not determined by consciousness, but consciousness by life.
                        From: K Marx / F Engels (The German Ideology [1846], §1.A)
                        A reaction: This slogan is the heart of Marxism. It begs the obvious question of what determines (social) life? Aristotle is at least partly right - that some activities and social organisation are 'unnatural', going against the grain of the human 'given'.
19. Language / A. Nature of Meaning / 3. Meaning as Speaker's Intention
Language co-exists with consciousness, and makes it social
                        Full Idea: Language is as old as consciousness, language is practical consciousness that exists also for other men.
                        From: K Marx / F Engels (The German Ideology [1846], §1.A)
                        A reaction: Dennett takes a similar view - that consciousness is more-or-less a consequence of the development of consciousness. This is understandable if you make intentional rather than phenomenal consciousness central. Otherwise ants may well have it.
22. Metaethics / A. Ethics Foundations / 2. Source of Ethics / e. Human nature
The nature of an individual coincides with what they produce and how they produce it
                        Full Idea: As individuals express their life, so they are; what they are, therefore, coincides with their production, both with what they produce and with how they produce.
                        From: K Marx / F Engels (The German Ideology [1846], §1.A)
                        A reaction: This appears to be contradicted by their subsequent idea that 'alienation' from the means of production is possible. Presumably intellectuals (in all ages) are to some extent exempt from this rule. It is, in fact, not true.
Consciousness is a social product
                        Full Idea: Consciousness is from the very beginning a social product.
                        From: K Marx / F Engels (The German Ideology [1846], §1.A)
                        A reaction: This slogan has produced the sociological view of truth which has stood opposed to philosophy for the last 150 years. It would be silly to deny that there is a good point here, but equally silly to think that all consciousness is explicable in this way.
23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 1. Virtue Theory / d. Virtue theory critique
When aristocracy or the bourgeoisie dominate, certain values dominate with them
                        Full Idea: During the time that the aristocracy was dominant, the concepts honour, loyalty etc. were dominant, and during the dominance of the bourgeoisie the concepts of freedom, equality etc.
                        From: K Marx / F Engels (The German Ideology [1846], §1.B)
                        A reaction: This is a very anti-Aristotelian view, based on a very different idea of human nature. It must, to some extent, be true, but freedom and equality will be a value for the proletariat, and loyalty will be a key value if the family is central.
23. Ethics / F. Existentialism / 6. Authentic Self
Young Hegelians proposed changing our present consciousness for liberating critical consciousness
                        Full Idea: The Young Hegelians logically put to men the moral postulate of exchanging their present consciousness for human, critical or egoistic consciousness, and thus removing their limitations.
                        From: K Marx / F Engels (The German Ideology [1846], §1.A)
                        A reaction: It seems there are three views here: this one (that we can change our consciousness), the Aristotelian view (that consciousness is 'given'), and the Marxist view (that society determines consciousness). The truth is somewhere between them.
24. Political Theory / A. Basis of a State / 1. A People / a. Human distinctiveness
Producing their own subsistence distinguishes men from animals
                        Full Idea: Men begin to distinguish themselves from animals as soon as they begin to produce their means of subsistence.
                        From: K Marx / F Engels (The German Ideology [1846], p.160), quoted by Sydney Shoemaker - Some varieties of functionalism 6
                        A reaction: At the very least, we must say that there had to be some intrinsic distinctiveness in place before men could do this. I like meta-thought.
Men distinguish themselves from animals when they begin to produce their means of subsistence
                        Full Idea: Men begin to distinguish themselves from animals as soon as they begin to produce their means of subsistence.
                        From: K Marx / F Engels (The German Ideology [1846], §1.A)
                        A reaction: This seems a rather external criterion. Presumably we can ask what biological or mental feature made it possible for men to produce their own means of subsistence, and why it evolved. Darwin puts a different perspective on this idea.
Individuals are mutually hostile unless they group together in competition with other groups
                        Full Idea: Separate individuals form a class only insofar as they have to carry on a battle against another class; otherwise they are on hostile terms with each other as competitors.
                        From: K Marx / F Engels (The German Ideology [1846], §1.D)
                        A reaction: Beneath the Marxist view that consciousness is a social creation lies a Hobbesian pessimism about basic human nature. This idea bodes ill for ultimate communism, because class struggle will have been abolished. What, then, can unite people?
24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 7. Communitarianism / a. Communitarianism
Only in community are people able to cultivate their gifts, and therefore be free
                        Full Idea: Only in community with others has each individual the means of cultivating his gifts in all directions; only in the community, therefore, is personal freedom possible.
                        From: K Marx / F Engels (The German Ideology [1846], §1.D)
                        A reaction: This is where Aristotle and Marx agree, and I agree too. I think we could drop the word "free", which is to some degree a necessary right and precondition of human happiness, but is not the real target.
24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 9. Communism
Young Hegelians think consciousness is chains for men, where old Hegelians think it the bond of society
                        Full Idea: The Young Hegelians consider conceptions, thoughts, ideas, in fact all the products of consciousness, to which they attribute an independent existence, as the real chains of men (just as the Old Hegelians declared them the true bonds of human society).
                        From: K Marx / F Engels (The German Ideology [1846], §1.A)
                        A reaction: Marx and Engels will attack both views. The Young Hegelians seem potential existentialists, and the Old Hegelians followers of Aristotle. The correct view is somewhere in the middle. Self-criticism is an option given to us by our culture.
If the common interest imposes on the individual, his actions become alienated and enslaving
                        Full Idea: As long as a cleavage exists between the particular and the common interest, as long, therefore, as activity is not voluntarily, but naturally divided, man's own deed becomes an alien power opposed to him, which enslaves him.
                        From: K Marx / F Engels (The German Ideology [1846], §1.A)
                        A reaction: An isolated individual could feel 'alienated' doing menial tasks for themselves when they yearned to get on with their poetry. Alienation is not all-or-nothing. Compare working for a good employer with working for Nazi conquerors.
In communist society we are not trapped in one activity, but can act freely
                        Full Idea: In communist society, where nobody has one exclusive sphere of activity but each can become accomplished in any branch he wishes, society regulates production, and I can hunt in the morning, fish in the afternoon and criticise after dinner.
                        From: K Marx / F Engels (The German Ideology [1846], §1.A)
                        A reaction: This sounds like a hopeless daydream, and Plato would be appalled. It now (2004) looks as if this aspiration is more likely to be met in a liberal capitalist democracy than it is under any state-controlled communism.
The class controlling material production also controls mental production
                        Full Idea: The class which has the means of material production at its disposal, has control at the same time over the means of mental production.
                        From: K Marx / F Engels (The German Ideology [1846], §1.B)
                        A reaction: This is mostly true, because the wealthy will control both the media and most of the educational institutions, but in a world of universal education and underground presses it doesn't seem to be a necessary truth. Wide dissemination of ideas needs money.
The revolutionary class is opposed to 'class', and represents all of society
                        Full Idea: The class making a revolution appears from the very start, if only because it is opposed to a 'class', not as a class but as the representative of the whole of society.
                        From: K Marx / F Engels (The German Ideology [1846], §1.B)
                        A reaction: This appears to be the source of most of the troubles of the last 150 years. Aristotle thought a benevolent tyrant could represent all of society. It looks to me as if a representative democracy has the best chance, but control of the media is tricky.
To assert themselves as individuals, the proletarians must overthrow the State
                        Full Idea: In order to assert themselves as individuals, the proletarians must overthrow the State.
                        From: K Marx / F Engels (The German Ideology [1846], §1.D)
                        A reaction: By the 'State' is here meant the centralised power of the owners of the means of production. They are not aiming at anarchism, but at a more fluid 'society' or 'community'. Most of us have an Orwellian fear of violent 'overthrowing'.
25. Social Practice / A. Freedoms / 1. Slavery
Slavery cannot be abolished without the steam-engine
                        Full Idea: Slavery cannot be abolished without the steam-engine.
                        From: K Marx / F Engels (The German Ideology [1846], §1.B)
                        A reaction: In Britain and its colonies it does appear that the rise of factories and the abolition of slavery coincided. It is hard to see why this should be a necessity, though. Did the early Christians keep slaves? Some ancient Greeks objected to slavery.
25. Social Practice / A. Freedoms / 4. Free market
Communism abolishes private property and dissolves the powerful world market
                        Full Idea: It is empirically established that by the overthrow of the existing state of society by the communist revolution, and the abolition of private property, which is identical with it, the power of the world market will be dissolved.
                        From: K Marx / F Engels (The German Ideology [1846], §1.A)
                        A reaction: They later dropped the abolition of private property as an aim. They were very early in spotting the problem of global capitalism. As long as there are scarcities of anything (e.g. Rembrandts) it is hard to imagine the disappearance of the market.
25. Social Practice / C. Rights / 4. Property rights
The law says private property is the result of the general will
                        Full Idea: In civil law the existing property relations are declared to be the result of the general will.
                        From: K Marx / F Engels (The German Ideology [1846], §1.C)
                        A reaction: In other words, the 'general will' is open to endless abuse, because it is defined by the current power group, which nowadays is whoever controls the mass media. Even a 'free' election doesn't prove the general will, which is a cultural thing.
25. Social Practice / E. Policies / 5. Education / d. Study of history
Human history must always be studied in relation to industry and exchange
                        Full Idea: The 'history of humanity' must always be studied and treated in relation to the history of industry and exchange.
                        From: K Marx / F Engels (The German Ideology [1846], §1.A)
                        A reaction: There is a lot of truth in this, but why did the Greeks produce Pythagoras, or the Jews produce Jesus, or the British produce Sid Vicious? Two very similar industrial societies can produce very different cultures. Individuals can make a difference.
Most historians are trapped in the illusions of their own epoch
                        Full Idea: Most historians see in history just the political actions of princes and states, religious and all sorts of theoretical struggles, and in particular in each historical epoch have had to share the illusion of that epoch.
                        From: K Marx / F Engels (The German Ideology [1846], §1.B)
                        A reaction: Is it an illusion of our epoch that we share the illusions of our epoch? It seems unfair to say that Marx and Engels can see beyond the illusions of their epoch, but some historian writing about the Wars of the Roses can't. Princes were important.