Marx and His Theory of Alienation Marx wrote "On The Jewish Question" in 1844. It was a written response to Bauer's works. In his works, Bauer said that Jews should give up their religion and fight for their civil rights. Bauer believed the Jews should become emancipated from the Germans and Christians. Marx contradicted this entire belief through the idea that civil emancipation does truly emancipate. In "On the Jewish Question," Marx went on to criticize the liberal notion of universal human rights. These rights were directly related to the emancipation problem. Since Bauer believed in universal human rights, he believed that everybody should be emancipated and that those rights justified the emancipation. Marx disagreed.Marx believed in a different justification for emancipation. He believed in emancipation from alienation. This could be achieved through an idea called Communism. Marx talked about this emancipation in his theory of alienation.Marx's theory of alienation can be broken down into for main aspects. Mans separation from his work, his products, other men, and lastly, his potential (Ollman 483). The theory of alienation deals mainly with the pitfalls of Capitalism. By pointing out the problems of capitalism, Marx is able to offer his solution which is Communism. So not only is Marx's theory an attack on Capitalism, but it is more importantly a praise of Communism. Capitalism alienates society, whereas Communism unifies societyThere are many products of alienation but the main ones are property and industry, which Marx calls "alienated life elements" (Ollman 483). As we know industry and property are probably the two most important aspects of a Capitalist society. Industry is the most alienating of the "life elements." Industry forces men to work and makes their lives miserable. Marx believes that we fulfill ourselves through our work. The need to work is a basic necessity of mankind. Capitalism corru...
