Marxist Ideology Essay, Research Paper

?Capital is not personal, but social power and product.? (Karl Marx) Karl

Marx, perhaps one of the most influential philosophers in history, is widely

remembered for the revolutionizing ideologies he presented in the Communist

Manifesto. Marx was certainly a man of great intelligence and vision. His many

visions about capitalistic development are constantly reflected in today?s

society. Job alienation is certainly rampant. Most individuals have a ?TGIF;

Monday sucks? mentality. To most people work rather than happiness is the

meaning of life; nothing is ever enough?everyone wants more, More, MORE. The

bourgeois are running things, as a large portion of the world?s resources and

wealth is in the hands of a select few. The immediate question that then comes

to mind is whether this is advantageous to society. To correctly answer this

deep question, one must look at the pros and cons of the socialist ideology. In

theory, socialism has several observable benefits. For one, the equality of

humankind presents itself as an important theme. The capitalistic

bourgeois/proletariat relationship that exists is destroyed. Consequently, the

exploitation of the proletariat by the bourgeois is non-existent. Work now takes

on a different meaning?instead of being the result of greed and necessity,

work becomes a means of helping and interacting with society. In the truest form

of communism, acquiring wealth is an unnecessary evil?instead society provides

the individual with an adequate standard of living and vice versa. Ultimately,

an ideal communist state is practically a Utopia. Marx clearly predicted that a

state of Utopia would form with a transition from communism. (Marx detailed

steps to reaching Utopia include: primitive socialism feudalism

capitalismsocialism communism Utopia.) While communism

has its benefits, the reality of reaching these benefits is literally

non-existent. Even Marx predicted that this would be the case!?he said that in

the presence of capitalism, communism will lose. This is a very interesting

statement, and clearly implies that the socialistic ideology is not perfect.

Communism is a Utopia, and therefore it arguably cannot exist. Communism calls

for the cooperation of too many individuals. Everyone would have to be a

productive member of society. Politicians and government officials would have to

govern flawlessly. Any form of corruption could not be tolerated, as it could

bring about total anarchy and downfall. In addition to these troublesome

?technicalities,? the idea of public goods does not always result in the

desired outcome. For example, imagine the creation of a public lawnmower. As

opposed to a private owner who would try to preserve the longevity of the

lawnmower, the public would have no real incentive to take care of the

lawnmower. Certainly, private ownership provides to the preservation of goods

and resources. Also, take into consideration the status of the US public school

system as compared to the US private school system. Private schools have done

remarkably better at producing better results and using less money when compared

to US public schools. To an extent this can also be said for private health

care?in comparing England?s and Canada?s health care systems to that of

the US. Lastly, the communist ideology destroys competition. With no competition

people do not have an incentive to advance. Inferior products that lack quality

and improvement are made. Inferior services that lack needed advancement?such

as health care?are provided. This is not to say that this is the case with all

services and products. However, without competition there is no real desire to

change the norm, regardless of how good or bad it is. This would be especially

damaging to advances in medicine, science, and research.