Dear Ralph, thank you for indicating these to me. With Marxist greetings, Dogan. In einer eMail vom 14.10.2006 18:57:15 Westeuropäische Sommerzeit schreibt [EMAIL PROTECTED]:
See my Ideology Study Guide: http://www.autodidactproject.org/guidideo.html At least one prof. has used this in his curriculum. My favorite treatment of the Marxian conception is: Mills, Charles W. '"'Ideology' in Marx and Engels" Revisited and Revised', The Philosophical Forum, vol. XXIII, no. 4, Summer 1992, pp. 301-328. Mills reviews the literature and disagrees with McCarney's interpretation, for example. I have some more recent books on the subject I need to add to my bibliography, can't remember their titles offhand. At 10:09 AM 10/14/2006 -0400, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > >False Consciousness. The concept of false consciousness is a complex >cognitive-epistemological and socio-economic political concept. It was first >explored in some details by the philosophers of the Scottish Enlightenment >prominently by Adam Smith and Adam Ferguson but came to be associated with >the work of >Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. The concept occurs in Marx’s and Engelsâ €™ >work at a junction point of various equally complex concepts like theory of >history, social class, consciousness, social and self consciousness, class >consciousness, commodification and commodity fetishism, ideology >and alienation. >It is often claimed (e.g Joseph McCarney) that Marx does not use the phrase >false consciousness and Engels is, then, referred to as the only one to use >it. This is not true. Both of them use the term. But though it is one of the >most central Marxian terms each uses it only once in their whole (published) >work. But the use of the Hegelian category of appearance is essential >here. One >of the meanings of the category appearance in Hegelian system is distorted >and deceiving reflection of the nature of things. Besides all sorts of >different meanings of the term in Hegelian philosophy, Marx and Engels >use it also >to refer to distorted knowledge and or inadequate expression of reality. >Marx >uses the term in an 1854 in New York published essay Der Ritter vom >edelmütigen Bewußsein (The knight of noble-minded consciousness). >However, he uses it >not in a conceptual way to categorise a certain phenomenon. Rather, he >merely >remarks polemically against A. Willich that he (Willich) is suspecting >behind the right facts false consciousness. The connotation of Engels’ >usage of >the term is something more substantial but curious enough it does not >occur in >one of his major writings. In a letter to Franz Mehring from 14 July 1893 he >discusses the genesis of ideology (superstructure) and how it affects >structure. He admits that he and Marx emphasized how structure determines >superstructure but neglected to work out how superstructure affects >structure. In this >context he asserts: ideology is a process accomplished by the so-called >thinker. Consciously, it is true, but with a false consciousness. The >real motive >forces impelling him remain unknown to him; otherwise it simply would not be >an ideological process. Hence he imagines false or seeming motive forces. >It is thank to the work of the first generation of Marxist philosophers, >prominently to that of Georg Lukács, that the concept false consciousness >assumed the preeminence which it enjoys in contemporary debates - in >particular on >ideology. Lukács works out the meaning of the concept for example in his >classical essay Class Consciousness. He suggests that Marx’s concept of >false >consciousness arises as a reply to bourgeois philosophy and sociology of >history. According to Lukács bourgeois philosophy of history and >sociology tends to >give up the sense of history as progress to justify contemporary form of the >organization of society as natural and eternal or it must cut out everything >in the progress of history that refers to the future. Consequently, it >reduces the progress of history to the role individualities or >supernatural forces >like God. Now, Marx resolves this dilemma of bourgeois theory of history, >Lukács suggests, by developing his concept of historical materialism and by >presenting human relations in capitalist society as the reification. This >is, >then, the stage where, by referring to Engels’s above-mentioned letter >Lukács >introduces the concept of false consciousness. He poses the question whether >historical materialism takes into account the role of consciousness in >history. >In this connection he speaks of a double dialectical determination of false >consciousness. On the one hand, considered in the light of human >relations as >a whole subjective consciousness appears to be justified because it is >something that can be understood, that is, it gives an adequate >expression of >human relations. But as an objective category it is a false consciousness >as it >fails to express the nature of the development of society adequately. On the >other hand, this consciousness in the same context appears to fail to >achieve >subjectively aimed goals because they appear to be unknown, unwanted >objective aims as if they were determined by some mystical supernatural >alien forces. >The whole work of Marx is dedicated to the explanation of this >contradiction. As Rosa Luxemburg has shown, Marx’s and Engels’ whole >work is driven by >the question of how human relations can be brought into an agreement with >human >consciousness. The mature work of Marx’s on this question is Capital. The >key chapter for the study of Marx’s concept of false consciousness is >the first >chapter of the Capital on commodities. The key concept for understanding of >this concept is his concept of commodity fetishism, which he develops in >this >chapter. In his analysis of commodity Marx differentiates between value in >use and value in exchange. The use-value of commodities is obtained by >transforming natural objects into useful objects, say, by transforming >wood into >table. This transformation is accomplished by useful or productive labor to >satisfy various human needs. The exchange-value is the relative value of >commodities, which refers to socially necessary labor time that was >necessary to >produce them. The use-value is realized in the consumption of >commodities. The >exchange value is realized in the exchange process, that is, by relating to >commodities to one another and exchanging them for one another. Now, in his >analysis of the relationship of use-value and exchange value Marx sees a >mutual >negative relationship. He thinks that this negative relationship >originates in >the value from of commodities because in the exchange process the aim of >production (satisfaction of needs) has been reversed into obtaining of >exchange-values. The aim of production is, then, no longer satisfaction >of human needs >but production and realization of exchange values. This gives rise to the >fact that human products as commodities dominate humans rather than vice >versa >humans their product. This is, in turn, the reason why everybody strives to >realize exchange-values and becomes commodity fetishist. From now on >commodities (a trivial thing, if considered in the light of use-value) >appear to be >mystified things endowed with life and turned into supernatural divine >forces >that are prayed for. As a result human relations take the form of social >relations between products. >The commodification of products, however, requires the commodification of >human labor too. The commodification of human labor in turn requires the >separation of laborers from their means of production and monopolization >in the >hands of the few (original accumulation) so that the laborers have >nothing to >sell but their labor forces, that is, their physiological and intellectual >functions of their bodies. This is also the source of the rise of social >classes >in capitalist society with their class consciousnesses or ideologies. In >capitalist society, then, there are two contradictory sets of ideologies: >on the >one hand, there is the institutionalized ideology of ruling class >claiming to >represent the whole of society and there is, on the other hand, the >subaltern ideology of subordinated classes. In short, ideology as a form of >consciousness arises from social class relations. >Marx’s concept of ideology has been often equated with false >consciousness. >But as Theodor W. Adorno has shown as early as 1930s and as Hans Heinz Holz >and István Mésáros enforced in the 1970s the equitation of >ideology with false >consciousness is undertaken in the tradition of Weberian sociology – in >particular in the sociology of knowledge of Karl Mannheim. Ideology >in Marxian >thought has many meanings and false consciousness is just one of them. To >introduce a historical perspective into the debate on false consciousness, >in his >above-referred essay Lukács suggests considering Marx’s concept of >ideology >in the light of class position vis-à -vis the means of production. Only in >this >manner, Lukács thinks, one can obtain the category of objective possibility >to overcome consciousness as ideology and false consciousness. He thinks >that >because of its position vis-à -vis the means of production the only class >that >is objectively interested in overcoming consciousness as ideology and false >consciousness is working classes. Marx and Engels formulated this idea as >early as 1848 in the Manifest of Communist Party. >DoÄŸan Göçmen >Further Reading >István Mésáros, Marx’s Theory of Alienation, Merlin Press, >London, 1986. >István Mésáros, The Power of Ideology, ZED Books LTD, London & New York, >2005. > >_______________________________________________ >Marxism-Thaxis mailing list >[email protected] >To change your options or unsubscribe go to: >http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis _______________________________________________ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list [email protected] To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
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