Marx’s Alienation vs. Weber’s Dehumanization Consequences of Rationalization For many years, Karl Marx and Max Weber – despite their similarities and differences in theories – both share a similar vision of a capitalist society. Marx’s theory of alienation resemblance much to Weber’s theory of dehumanizing consequences of rationalization, that is, both theories suggest that individuals are estranged from themselves, others, and from society.
What is alienation? By alienation, for Karl Marx and Friedrich Hengels, it refers to “any state of human existence which is “away from” or “less than” unalienation … a mistake, a defect, which it ought not to be” (Ollman, 1971 p.132). Therefore, alienation is the separation of one’s physical and mind …show more content…
In the Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, Weber asserts that “rationalization” is an important concept that look into the modern capitalism. So what is rationalization? By rationalization, for Max Weber, it refers to “a developmental process, which can take place with reference to the “external” organization of the world, that is, in the spheres of economic, law, politic, domination, and knowledge, as well as the “internal” spheres of religion and ethics (Pasdermajian, p.47). Therefore, rationalization is a process, which influences the economic, law, government, and religion. It also involves the form of social organizations, which it devotes to achieve a specific goal through means such as measurement, calculation, and control, and this is often seen in business corporations, or in bureaucratic …show more content…
Secondly, men are separated from his products, that is, men do not have control over what the makes or what the final product(s) will become afterwards. In such case, men often do not see the final result of his own work of production. Thirdly, men are separated from his fellow men, that is, under the capitalism influence, the labour has become individual rather than cooperative and collective. Lastly, men are separated from his human nature, that is, when a man is inable to use his human quality to produce a mean, than he is no longer human (p.45). For instance, animals are required to perform labouring functions to fill their physical needs, and we, human beings, are also required to do the same. However, capitalism turned labour into a repetitive physical act rather than a creative act. Therefore, aforementioned, for Marx, the alienated men have become an abstraction (Ollman, 1971,
What is alienation? By alienation, for Karl Marx and Friedrich Hengels, it refers to “any state of human existence which is “away from” or “less than” unalienation … a mistake, a defect, which it ought not to be” (Ollman, 1971 p.132). Therefore, alienation is the separation of one’s physical and mind …show more content…
In the Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, Weber asserts that “rationalization” is an important concept that look into the modern capitalism. So what is rationalization? By rationalization, for Max Weber, it refers to “a developmental process, which can take place with reference to the “external” organization of the world, that is, in the spheres of economic, law, politic, domination, and knowledge, as well as the “internal” spheres of religion and ethics (Pasdermajian, p.47). Therefore, rationalization is a process, which influences the economic, law, government, and religion. It also involves the form of social organizations, which it devotes to achieve a specific goal through means such as measurement, calculation, and control, and this is often seen in business corporations, or in bureaucratic …show more content…
Secondly, men are separated from his products, that is, men do not have control over what the makes or what the final product(s) will become afterwards. In such case, men often do not see the final result of his own work of production. Thirdly, men are separated from his fellow men, that is, under the capitalism influence, the labour has become individual rather than cooperative and collective. Lastly, men are separated from his human nature, that is, when a man is inable to use his human quality to produce a mean, than he is no longer human (p.45). For instance, animals are required to perform labouring functions to fill their physical needs, and we, human beings, are also required to do the same. However, capitalism turned labour into a repetitive physical act rather than a creative act. Therefore, aforementioned, for Marx, the alienated men have become an abstraction (Ollman, 1971,