Book Report: Karl Marx, Economist/Sociologist Karl Marx The work of Marx, like that of other philosophers and thinkers in the 19th century, owed a great deal to the social context into which he was born and thus the issues he tackled were often similar to those of concern to his contemporaries. It was Marx who decided to go beyond the academia and theoretical study and produce an active theory or a practical philosophy, which could provide a basis for political action. Whilst at University in Berlin, Marx adopted and later modified the philosophy and principles of Hegel, centrally his dialectal mode of logic. Marx, rather than focusing on dialectic of ideas as did Hegel, was looking to apply this method to the material world. This was a step to import the dialectic from the realm of philosophy into the realm of social science and thus an important step in the history of sociology. Marx's theories were also influenced by other sources such as French socialist thought particularly the work of Saint-Simon, concerned with social progress as a result of workers leading the country. The political economy of Britain was another as was his friendship with Engels, both of which had an effect on Marx's transformation from a radical democrat to a communist revolutionary. Marx's theory of society originates from the simple observation that humans must produce food and material goods in order to survive. As a result of this they must enter into social relationships with others, and production becomes a social enterprise. Alongside this exists the 'forces of production', a technical component to manufacturing including the technology, scientific knowledge and raw materials used in the process of production. According to Marx, each stage of development in these forces will necessarily correspond with a certain form of social relationships of production, and the two of these components combine to form the 'infrastructure' or economic base of a socie...
