Marx's Theory of Alienation

Marx's Argument in “Estranged Labor”

• Under capitalism, workers experience alienation from the products they create
• Alienation also occurs in the work process, from their own humanity, and from fellow workers
• The root cause of alienation is labor being treated as a means of survival rather than an expression of human potential

Four Dimensions of Alienation

• Alienation occurs from the product of labor because workers do not own it
• Alienation arises from the act of production, as work is forced and unfulfilling
• Alienation stems from disconnect from one's "species-being", or human nature
• Alienation results from separation from other people, where competition supplants community

Marx's Theory of Alienation and Inequality

• Inequality is not just about income, but also about a deeper separation from our creative and communal essence
• The capitalist system uses labor as a tool for profit rather than a source of self-fulfillment

Relative vs. Absolute Increase in Wages

• An absolute increase means a worker earns more money
• A relative increase considers how wages compare to capitalists' profits
• Workers may still be worse off if profits rise faster than wages, impacting the workers socially and economically

Marx's Definition of a Commodity and Labor Power

• A commodity is something produced for exchange in the market
• Labor power becomes a commodity when workers sell their ability to work in exchange for wages
• It generates profits for others

Devaluation of Men in Proportion to the Increasing Value of Things

• In capitalism, as objects (commodities and capital) gain value, people are valued less
• Material wealth is prioritized, which degrades human life and relationships

Alienation of Labor

• More concerned with the alienated nature of labor itself due to workers having no control or fulfillment in their work
• A loss of autonomy damages the work force's humanity

Marx's Meaning of "Species Being"

• "Species being" means humans' unique ability to consciously create, shape the world, and live communally
• Capitalist labor obstructs this nature by relegating life to survival work

Estranged Labor and Humanity

• Rather than expressing creativity and community, people work to survive
• Human nature is turned into a tool for getting by instead of thriving

Wages Increase within a Capitalist Structure

• Even if wages increase, exploitation remains, as well as alienation and inequality
• Workers remain tools for generating profit

Abolishing Alienated Labor

• Capitalism should be replaced with a system where workers control the means of production
• True freedom arises from labor becoming self-directed and fulfilling

Commodity Circulation and Money

• Under capitalism, commodities are produced to be sold for money, not to fulfill needs
• Profit becomes the primary goal of production, which turns economic life into a cycle of accumulation

Circulation of Money as Capital and Its Limits

• Capital is invested to generate more money without end, rather than to fulfill needs
• The drive for infinite profit underpins much of today's economic inequality and environmental crises

Definition and Value of "Labor-Power"

• Labor-power describes a worker's capacity to perform labor
• Its value is determined by the cost of what workers need to survive on like food, housing, and education

Labor Power vs. Other Commodities

• Labor power can generate more value than its maintenance costs, unlike physical objects
• Surplus value therefore becomes a source of capitalist profit

Surplus Value

• Surplus value is the extra value that workers produce beyond the wages they receive
• Capitalists retain this surplus as profit, which anchors exploitation

Inferiority Complex of Colonized Peoples

• Colonized people internalize racist beliefs from the colonizer, leading them to see themselves as lesser
• This internalization is reinforced through language, education, and cultural domination

Two Levels of Racism

• Racism needs to be fought structurally within societal institutions
• Racism needs to be fought psychologically within the individual's sense of self-worth
• Genuine liberation necessitates both changes

Fanon's Concept of Blacks in a "Zone of Non-Being"

• Black people are denied complete humanity and are viewed as invisible or inferior
• They therefore exist outside the bounds of social recognition and dignity

"The White Gaze"

• The white gaze reduces black identity to stereotypes while objectifying black people
• This creates deep psychological trauma while shaping the way black people see themselves

Bodily Schema and Racial Discrimination

• A person's natural awareness of their body is disrupted by racism
• Instead of moving freely, black people become self-conscious and hyper-aware under the white gaze

Struggle for Recognition

• Recognition is vital for upholding human dignity
• Colonized and racialized groups therefore have to reclaim recognition through resistance and self-assertion

Fanon's Goal

• To see a world where every person, regardless of race, is treated as fully human
• His vision is a society without race built on mutual respect and freedom

Overcoming Inferiority Complex

• The oppressed must reject imposed inferiority and reclaim redefine their identity
• This is achieved through cultural pride, psychological healing, and collective resistance

Being "Over-Determined From Without"

• It means being defined entirely by external forces like racism instead of one's inner self
• Colonized people are thusly trapped in imposed identities

Fanon's Views On Ontology

• Colonized societies are unable to define their own existence or being (ontology) because their existence is shaped by the colonizer's view
• Domination blocks self-definition in these areas

Response of Victims

• Victims respond by trying to assert their humanity through protest, culture, or overachievement
• Victims aim to force recognition and reclaim their dignity

Fanon's Attitude Toward Negritude

• Fanon views Negritude as a necessary stage of Black pride
• He makes sure to criticize its focus on the past rather than on revolution

Fanon's Disturbance with Sartre

• Sartre views Negritude as a step toward universal humanism, which is a point Fanon sees as dismissive and condescending
• Black experience is therefore not just a step but a lived reality that must be honored

Dialectic and Expulsion of Self

• Fanon states that attempts to find freedom through abstract logic or universalism ignore the real pain of racial identity
• Black consciousness exists as a concrete reality, not just a philosophical stage

Hegel's Dialectic of Recognition

• Hegel's idea that selfhood depends on mutual recognition is used by Fanon
• Black individuals are blocked from achieving full personhood, as racism denies this recognition

Race and Class

• Fanon believes that race must be understood alongside class, but not reduced to it
• Colonialism involves both economic exploitation and deep psychological damage

"New Humanism"

• New humanism for Fanon is a world where identity is not defined by race, colonial history, or economic status
• It is rooted in solidarity, dignity, and shared humanity