Journal of Philosophy and Ethics Volume 1, Issue 3, 2019, PP 14-21 ISSN 2642-8415 Reification and the Ontology of Human Dignity Dr. Ozoigbo Bonaventure Ikechukwu1*, Dr. Onuoha Jude2 1,2Directorate of General Studies, Federal University of Technology, Owerri-Nigeria *Corresponding Author: Ozoigbo Bonaventure Ikechukwu, Directorate of General Studies, Federal University of Technology, Owerri-Nigeria, Email: [email protected] ABSTRACT The continuous inhuman treatment of man by man necessitated this article. Reification of man by man is the worst treatment man can receive and we see this happening on daily basis globally. We refer to commodification of human beings in Libya, Kidnapping for monetary ransom in Nigeria, mass shooting in the United States for varied reasons, underpayment of workers in some Western countries as a result of non- documentation of immigrants, casualization of workers in some African countries, etc. Reification features also in the manner man pays more attention to the products of technology than to himself and other human beings. This paper calls for the restoration of and respect for human dignity as this is natural to man. Man cannot be alienated from this dignity no matter the reason – human or divine. Keywords: Reification, Heidegger, Marx, Lukacs, Honneth, Human Dignity, Thingnification, Thomistic. INTRODUCTION context, ‗is used to characterize the totality of social relations‘ (Lotz. 2013, 185). However, the The concept of reification often appears in task of this paper is not to continue in the socio-political discourses, and the analysis that Marxian pattern of examining how human social and critical theorists often make about beings relate with themselves vis-à-vis of their reification in relation to economic alienation or labours, but rather to take a completely different objectification. The idea of alienation or perspective to evaluating the notion of objectification is well-known, at least for those reification within the context of the ontology of familiar with the socio-political philosophy of human dignity. Karl Marx and Georg Lukacs. The notion of reification also appears in Heidegger‘s theory of By ontology of human dignity, we are looking at technology, where the concept is explored in dignity in relation to human nature and relations to the thingification of Dasein. There is humanity. Drawing from Jeff Malpas-Kantian a sense in which the view of reification in the description of dignity, we view dignity as a Heideggerian sense is linked to the Marxian notion that is inseparable from the ontological understanding of the concept (Lotz, 2013, 187). question of the nature of humanness, that is, In sum, every analysis of reification is often what makes an individual a human being – ―to discussed in relations to a generalized form of attend to human dignity is to attend to the value socio-economic interaction, where human or significance that belongs to human being‖ beings now reduce themselves to objects of their (Malpas 2007, 19). Talking about dignity implies labour or things, such that they now see their talking about our human nature. This is quite social interaction as the interaction of things. In different from the idea of dignity ―associated order words, within the context of social with aristocracy and social hierarchy, ―dignified behavior‖ being an index of the conscious self- interactions, human beings allow themselves to possession and social elevation of an individual‖ be controlled by the objects of their labour (Riley 2010, 143). In this paper, we attempt to rather than they being in control. show that degradation or dehumanizing actions, It is indisputable that the idea of reification as like the Nazi holocaust or the sales of migrants explored in the Marxian political economy is an in Libyaor the kidnapping of people and demand attempt to examine real human conditions that for ransom before their release as happening arise as a result of the interaction of commodities currently in Nigeria, which are part of violation within social relations. It won‘t be out of place of human dignity, mass shooting in the United to argue that reification, within the Marxian States of America for flimsy reasons, underpayment Journal of Philosophy and Ethics V1 ● 13 ● 2019 14 Reification and the Ontology of Human Dignity of workers in some Western countries for being exchange, rather, it is a form of thought that illegal migrants and casualization of workers in objectively exists in the form of the commodity some African countries, are all forms of (2002, 145). This is, thus, a kind of thought reification. The idea of reification, as used in abstracted from economic exchange as depicted this paper, thus, suggests – (1) the by a bourgeois economy (Marx 1887, 49). In the instrumentalization of humans as objects of use; Capitalist system, thus, the value that is derived (2) an ontological disconnection of human from all socio-economic interactions, are universal, beings from inter subjective nexus of humanity. social, practical and pure, but such value only appears as the existential properties of objects of In other to set up this argument in a more labour, or of things, which now define social profound way, we will first, briefly, explore the relations – relations of things. Marx calls this notion of reification. This would give us an thingification of social relations as a kind of insight to the concept of reification, at least, for fetishism of commodity, technically referred to historical convenience. We will examine the as reification. To be reified, in Marx‘s view, is Marxian, Heidegerian, Lukacsian, and Honnethian to be reduced to a ‗thing‘. A more extended accounts. Each of these accounts would interpretation of this Marxian view of reification illuminate our account of reification, especially, is to express it as an act in which ―…agents split Honneth‘s theory of recognition. It is pertinent off a part of their agency and convert it into a to note that each of these accounts seem to agree process with an independent dynamic…‖ that reification is a negatively construed concept, (Sensat 1997, 368) This reified process flows in and it relates to how human beings treat themselves such a way that it engulfs the agent. and others. But our account will look at a more ontological impact of dehumanization and Georg Lukacs explores the idea of reification in degradation through the act of reification. To relation to social interaction from a more essentialist start, we will explore Marx and Lukacs‘ economic perspective. Marx views the commodification of theory of reification. human interaction as a kind of social interaction of things, Lukacs, however, believes that this ECONOMIC APPROACH TO REIFICATION: thingification of social interaction is not just KARL MARX AND GEORG LUKACS limited to the commodity and the thingified or The concept of reification has emerged mostly reified object, but rather, it also permeates every from social philosophical writings and underlies facets of the society, and it is also reflected in most critical social discourses, especially, those ‗every expression of life‘. Reification is not just drawn from the Marxian philosophical orientation. a quantitative reduction on the value of human In the Marxian philosophical discourse, the beings as a result of interaction of their labour as notion of reification is employed in relation to Marx has suggested. Every objective and the idea of fetishism of commodity. The idea of subjective facets of the society, in so far as they Fetishism of commodity stems from the Marxian exist in a capitalist system, are objectified or claim that human beings seem to attach reified in a qualitative way (1971, 84). themselves to the products of their labour, such Capitalism, according to Lukacs, thus, is that they are from the commodities they have perceived as a totality of existential expression produced (1887, 48). In other words, human with a reified essence. In the bourgeois social interaction, which occurs as a result of economy, as Lukacs avers, ―reification functions economic transaction, is now perceived as a as a "universal structuring principle" which systemic interconnectedness of things (Berger "penetrates society in all its aspects," including and Pullberg1965, 199). This ontological mental human subjectivity itself‖ (Burris 1988, 12). alteration of human social consciousness results Lukacs further notes that since reification takes in reification because rather than seeing the essence of the capitalist system, commodity, themselves as human beings, whose labours are therefore, is very crucial in the subjugation of the realization of their rational faculty, they human consciousness. It is through this rather perceive themselves as objects of labour. subjugation that reification expresses itself, in Reification, in the Marxian sense, is the definitive which human beings allow themselves to be characterization of a capitalist system, and it is enslaved by the products of their labour (1971, the objective form of thought that drive the 86), but through false consciousness, they bourgeois economy. Helmut Reichelt explains believe that they are in control of the outcome of that ‗the objective form of thought‘ is not an their social relations. The tendency of the inter subjective form of thought that arises as a bourgeois economy is to continuously reproduce result of transactional interaction or commodity itself, and the more this economic reproduction 15 Journal of Philosophy and Ethics V1 ● 13 ● 2019 Reification and the Ontology of Human Dignity persists, the more ―…the structure of reification semantic role that permeates this masterpiece. progressively sinks … deeply, more fatefully Heidegger‘s central project in the … Being and and more definitively into the consciousness of Time is to set out in positive terms a view of man‖ (1971, 93). In Lukacs‘ account, Capitalism ourselves qua minded beings that avoid a creates a sense of false consciousness, whereby, reification of the one orthe other sort…‖(Esfeld our perception of ourselves and our surroundings 2001, 48-9).