“O humano se torna animal”: conceito de alienação no jovem Marx

Abstract

The concept of alienation is a fundamental category for understanding Karl Marx’s critique of capitalist society. Developed primarily in the Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of 1844, this concept stems from Marx’s critique of the philosophical tradition, particularly Hegel’s dialectic, and thus brings about a shift in perspective by setting aside idealism in favor of a materialist critique. On the one hand, Hegel understands alienation as a necessary stage in the development of the spirit; Marx demonstrates that its origin and form of constitution lie in the material relations of production, and that it is a historical product of private property and the capitalist organization of labor. Thus, labor is regarded as a vital human activity through which human beings realize their essence as generic beings; however, when alienated, it becomes a foreign activity due to the loss of control over the product of labor, over the labor process, over their humanity as generic beings, and over their relationships with other individuals. Through Marx’s formulations, alienation can no longer be understood merely as a problem of consciousness or religion, but comes to be understood as an objective expression of the contradictions inherent in the very foundations of capitalism. In this sense, this study aims to investigate the formation of the concept of alienation in the thought of the young Marx, examining its philosophical genesis, his transition from Hegelian idealism to Marxian materialism, as well as by explaining its foundations in the critique of political economy and the four dimensions of alienated labor. Thus, I seek to demonstrate that, for Marx, human emancipation cannot be achieved through merely political, religious, or philosophical transformations, but requires overcoming the material relations that reproduce the exploitation of labor and alienation.