Analysis on Marx’s Historical Materialism Essay examples -- Political

As one of greatest figures in human history, Karl Marx introduced not only Communism but also historical materialism to us. According to historical materialism, the mode of production would determine and foster mankind’s ideas, values, and beliefs. Many opponents of Marx attacked his â€Å"impossible† Communism but neglected his contribution in defining the relationship among important production elements. This paper would explain the theme of historical materialism and probed the relationship between consciousness and mode of production. Then, this paper would analyze how division of labor affect mode of production and conclude that historical materialism was realistic and applicable. Marx defined historical materialism in the preface of A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy that, â€Å"it is not the consciousness of men that determines their existence, on the contrary, their social existence that determines their consciousness.† In contrast to idealism, which prioritized the value of human ideas, historical materialism insisted that the existence of human kinds pushed the productions; and mode of production shaped human consciousness in return. The contradictory between Idealism and historical materialism lie between whether it was evolvement of consciousness steering for societal changes or the other way around. While choosing one of them as individual political philosophy, it was very similar of answering question, â€Å"which came first, chicken or egg?† Personally, I favor for historical materialism for â€Å"consciousness is determined by your beings† seems rational as well as logical. So what is consciousness? According to Marx, â€Å"Consciousness can never be anything else than conscious existence, and the existence of men is t... ... future stage would follow Marx’s blueprint or not. This beautiful image was worth of dreaming. Comparing with Idealism, which stressed the human ideas’ capabilities in shaping societies, I felt historical materialism was more realistic and applicable. Despite the communism’s unclear future, the equation between mode of production and consciousness (or ideas and values) was very understandable and logical. I was convinced by the theme of historical materialism, which was â€Å"life is not determined by consciousness, but consciousness by life.† (Marx 155) Works Cited Brooks, Mick. "What Is Historical Materialism." Maxism. 14 Nov. 2002. Web. 25 May 2012. . Marx, Karl, and Friedrich Engels. "The German Ideology." The Marx-Engels Reader. Ed. Robert C. Tucker. New York: Norton, 1978. 146-200. Print