Max Planck

Erik Olin Wright’s, “Envisioning Real Utopias” was a lot more scholarly type of reading that I was not expecting considering this was a general education class. Although the reading and studying was more difficult than expected I found that this book was very useful in forcing myself to really study and buckle down with my study abilities. The reason for this is because I found this book too flow more like a scholarly journal rather than a regular book or textbook, the terms and definitions of…

Many Americans despised Karl Marx as soon as his political theory gained international attention. However, some did support Marx’s theory, even while it was considered radical. Those defined as some include world-renowned playwright, Arthur Miller. In his famous play, Death of a Salesman, the main character, Willy Loman, and his family fail to achieve the American dream. In Miller’s opinion, the Loman family’s vision of the American dream is unrealistic in a Capitalist society, but their vision…

Willy Loman: A Martyr of the Middle Class For many decades now, the American middle class has been subject to great self-delusion and failure. Stuck in a social construct not quite poor but far from wealthy, the suburban class tends to search for high risks with high rewards. Furthermore, it is constantly pressured by the materialistic extravagance of the affluent class, tempted to don superficial luxuries to disguise its lack of prosperity. This yearning to bridge the gap between lavishness…

T.H. Marshall was a British sociologist that believed in the idea that citizenship could lead to equality. However, he also believed that capitalism lead to inequality. This analysis will seek to explain the tension between citizenship and capitalism through the eyes of Marshall. First one will need to have an understanding of Marshall’s definition of citizenship. Second one will have to gain an understanding of why Marshall believes that capitalism leads to inequality. Ultimately, there is…

How does this relate to world politics? The very core of Marxism is the unit of analysis, most theories of IR today assume the state to the main actor, not only that, but to be an autonomous, rational actor, totally independent of social relations like a ‘black box’. Marxism, on the other hand contends it is the class system which is the key to understanding world politics. Furthering this perception; with the new neo-liberal world order replacing the embedded liberal order which centred on the…

Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim and Karl Weber are considered to be the principal "founding fathers" of the field of sociology. The following investigation, first of all, offers an overview of the beliefs and methodologies of each of these sociologists, discussing how they interact and how they affected each other. This discussion will show that there is a gradual evolution in his development of sociology that goes from the macrocosm to the microcosm, that is, first focusing on society overall and…

Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka tells the story of Gregor Samsa, a man who wakes up as a giant cockroach one morning and the self-realization he goes through as a non-human being. This tale is analogous to Karl Marx’s theories about capitalism and alienation since these theories state the issues with the capitalist system and the effect work has on individuals. For instance, Karl Marx’s theories about alienation of the worker states that workers are alienated from other human beings, producers are…

Saint Joan of the Stockyards, play by Bertolt Brecht attempts to represent drama of life with regard to financial issues of 1930’s. He makes an attempt to dramatize the complex economic situations with the help of his study of Marxism and capitalism. This play portrays the depths of suffering which has a moving effect on audience. In Saint Joan of the Stockyards everything eventually comes down to the question of meeting ends and means. It also portrays the socio-economic difference in classes…

Based on Marx’s concepts in Marxist criticisms written in the theoretical framework above, the Marxism of the necklace will be analyzed. 3.1 Economic Power in “The Necklace” “The Necklace” short story gives us clear image about society in which the distribution of goods are unfair. Mathilde described as a woman who has no skill or even commodity to sell for. She has only beautiful face and appearance that she uses to attract her husband who has similar status to her. She has no access to join…

Loewen Chapter 7, “The Land of Opportunity” Essay After reading chapter 7 of “The Land of Opportunity,” written by James W. Loewen, I found many parts that were compelling and, in a way, astonishing.” Lies My Teacher Told Me,” basically shows the reader what is wrong with current-day history textbooks and provides different opinions on several topics. Loewen is a sociologist who studies social behavior within society. Sociologist’s jobs consist of improving issues bases on crime, education, and…