Karl Marx

Economic & Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844 Karl Marx

Karl Marx was the founder of Marxism, the economic and sociopolitical idea that was one answer to the perceived problems caused by Capitalism. "The Economic and Philosophic Manuscript of 1844" is a combined collection of a series of notebooks Marx wrote in 1844 about his criticism of the German philosopher G. W. G. Hegel. It contains a number of Marx's thoughts about Communism, Capitalism, land, money, and production. Marx believed that modern industrial societies caused workers to lose sight of their own humanity, making them despise their own life. While many people discard Marxism as being too theoretical and impractical, "The Economic and Philosophic Manuscript of 1844" gives detractors a better sense of Marx's ideas and helps explain why he preferred Communism over Capitalism. In Marx's mind, money was a root of evil in society; rather than a person being judged by their work or merit, they were evaluated by their monetary worth. For poor workers in industrial cities, being poor made them feel less than human. According to Marx, a worker spending all day in a factory making goods he cannot buy alienates him from the rest of the world. It is from this idea that he created Marxism. Though "The Economic and Philosophic Manuscript of 1844" was not published until after the author's death, it is an interesting window into the author's mind and philosophy. Students of history, philosophy, politics or anthropology will find in the work some insight into the mind of a man who created a movement that still exists today.