KARL MARX SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY

Karl Marx Sociological Theory

Karl Marx Sociological Theory

Introduction

The foundations of the critical theory of society are in the early philosophical manuscripts of Karl Marx. Prior to the 1840's, social theory, political theory, "scientific" sociology, and classical political economy existed as coherent intellectual traditions, but a critical theory of society had not yet emerged. Utopian socialism, scientific political economy, and critical philosophy existed, but were not yet combined in a critical theory of society which could reflect the class struggles and social revolutions which were transforming Europe in the middle of the 19th century (McNally, 2009).

The most important concepts of Karl Marx

Marx believed that he could study sociology and society scientifically and discern tendencies of sociology and the resulting outcome of social conflicts. Some followers of Marx concluded, therefore, that a communist revolution is inevitable. However, Marx famously asserted in the eleventh of his Theses on Feuerbach that "philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways; the point however is to change it", and he clearly dedicated himself to trying to alter the world. Consequently, most followers of Marx are not fatalists, but activists who believe that revolutionaries must organize social change (McNally, 2009).

Marx's view of sociology, which came to be called the materialist conception of sociology (and which was developed further as the philosophy of dialectical materialism) is certainly influenced by Hegel's claim that reality (and sociology) should be viewed dialectically. Hegel believed that the direction of human sociology is characterized in the movement from the fragmentary toward the complete and the real (which was also a movement towards greater and greater rationality). Sometimes, Hegel explained, this progressive unfolding of the Absolute involves gradual, evolutionary accretion but at other times requires discontinuous, revolutionary leaps - episodal upheavals against the existing status quo. For example, Hegel strongly opposed the ...