A Marxian Concept of Human Nature in Defense of Alienation a Revolutionary Exegesis of a Revolutionary Philosophy
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University of Central Florida STARS HIM 1990-2015 2012 A marxian concept of human nature in defense of alienation a revolutionary exegesis of a revolutionary philosophy Christopher Byron University of Central Florida Part of the Philosophy Commons Find similar works at: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/honorstheses1990-2015 University of Central Florida Libraries http://library.ucf.edu This Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by STARS. It has been accepted for inclusion in HIM 1990-2015 by an authorized administrator of STARS. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Recommended Citation Byron, Christopher, "A marxian concept of human nature in defense of alienation a revolutionary exegesis of a revolutionary philosophy" (2012). HIM 1990-2015. 1252. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/honorstheses1990-2015/1252 A Marxian Concept of Human Nature in Defense of Alienation: A Revolutionary Exegesis of a Revolutionary Philosophy by Christopher C. Byron A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Honors in the Major Program in Philosophy in the College of Arts and Humanities and in The Burnett Honors College at the University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida Spring Term 2012 Thesis Chair: Dr. Donald Jones ©2012 Christopher C. Byron ABSTRACT Two long-standing and erroneous claims have plagued Marxism for the past century. First, Marx held no static view of human-nature. Second, Marx’s theory of alienation was the naïve view of a young Marx, which was jettisoned in his wiser adult years. Both views are demonstrable false. Moreover, the validity of his theory of human nature, and alienation, are contingent upon the acceptance of each other. One cannot fully comprehend his view of alienation without understanding his view of human nature, and vice versa. Upon demonstrating Marx’s theory of human nature, and defending it as a crucial bedrock for the theory of alienation, mainstream rejections of each will be considered, and critiqued. The constant misunderstanding of Marx’s theory of human nature comes in his unique theory of essence. He is an essentialist, with a fluid conception of man’s essence. One’s historical essence is an ensemble of socio-historical reflections, dialectically interplaying off a historically transcending essentialism. ii Dedications To Kristen, my provider in all things essential and non-essential, without whom I would be totally lost. And, to Ben, and his twenty years of patience, for me alone, regarding my stridency. I’ve no idea how either of you put up with me. Ben, I’ve tried to make Marx that much clearer for those who justifiable lack the time, or patience, to comprehend Marx’s rational kernel, beneath his vitriolic shell, through years of reading. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Dr. Jones, for his unwavering alacrity, assistance, and open door policy. Dr. Janz, for his savvy and consummated knowledge in all things philosophical. And, Dr. Kiel, for being the most interesting lecturer and professor I experienced at UCF. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE ....................................................................................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 4 PART I ............................................................................................................................................11 CHAPTER ONE: MARXIAN HUMAN NATURE: OR SPECIES-BEING ............................... 12 From Youth to Death ................................................................................................................. 14 Contemporary Science .............................................................................................................. 30 CHAPTER TWO:MARX’S THEORY OF ALIENATION .......................................................... 35 What It Is................................................................................................................................... 35 Human Nature's Essential Role ................................................................................................. 48 Contemporary Science .............................................................................................................. 51 CHAPTER THREE: BRIEF HISTORY OF ‘MARXISM’ .......................................................... 54 The Bolsheviks’ Come to Town ................................................................................................ 55 Late Publications ....................................................................................................................... 58 Cold War Paradigm ................................................................................................................... 61 Part II ............................................................................................................................................ 64 CHAPTER FOUR: ALTHUSSER ................................................................................................ 65 The Epistemological Break ....................................................................................................... 68 Fine Wine .................................................................................................................................. 79 v CHAPTER FIVE: THE XI THESIS ............................................................................................. 83 How it is Frequently Read ........................................................................................................ 84 Another Reading ....................................................................................................................... 85 What about Thesis III? .............................................................................................................. 88 CHAPTER SIX: HOMO FABER AND THE GENESIS OF HUMAN NATURE ...................... 92 Re-Rereading Poverty of Philosophy........................................................................................ 94 Inconsistency in Revolutionary Capitalism .............................................................................. 96 Essentialism and Essence .......................................................................................................... 97 CHAPTER SEVEN: CONCLUSION ........................................................................................ 103 vi PREFACE My interest in Marx's critique of capitalism was piqued during a Political Economy course when the professor's refutation of the Marxian theory of exploitation seemed wholly inadequate. Akin to a friar referring to tradition to justify his belief system, it was simply taken for granted that Marx must be wrong – since Marxists regimes were nightmares – without requiring further depth into the how and why of the errs of exploitation. But my interest was only piqued. Later in my academic career I took a Critical Theory course. We were required to familiarize ourselves with Marx's theory of alienation. It occurred to me that if this theory was taken seriously, alienation under capitalism was insurmountable. If my memory is correct, in a short writing assignment, I stated approximately: until all modes of expression were available to all people, alienation was inescapable. This sentiment both horrified me, and electrified me. It was clear that something was deeply wrong with the entire mode of production around me, and most academics, news castors, journalists, politicians, etc., were skirting around some fundamental issues. Moreover, I was often informed by professors that despite Marx's contemporary critique of capitalism, we had transcended his criticisms. This seemed equally vexing to me as the conditions and descriptions of capitalism Marx seemed to be referring to were very much the present conditions of numerous third world countries. My Political Science background also led me to the awareness that the American life style is contingent upon third world labor. Even if we (American citizens) had transcended the critiques of capitalism (and I do not think we have), they had not. 1 Despite the controversial history of the author, I needed to read Marx myself. His writing is often cumbersome, erratic, and unabashedly polemical. Furthermore, he was steeped in German Idealism, which is notorious for its opaque writing style. Few would contend otherwise that Germany's philosophical master before Marx's time, Hegel, was most assuredly the worst author to grace the halls of philosophy, albeit he was also one of Philosophy’s greatest geniuses. Marx followed in his footsteps. Therefore, I needed to read a few preliminary texts and introductions to begin a thorough study of Marx. There was a trend in all introductory text, and guides to Marx, that seemed as vexing as my previous professor's presumptuous attitude toward the inferiority of exploitation. These texts were all pretty consistent in agreeing that there was no such thing as human nature to be found in the works of Marx. All concepts of man were historically contingent, and the socio-economic relations man found himself born into were entirely the determining factors of his essence. In other words, if Marx's concept was termed in the nature versus nurture debate, Marx assuredly took the side of nurture. If this was the case, why did Marx espouse a theory of alienation, with predicates that state under capitalism man is alienated from himself,