Karl Marx was one of the fundamental figures for the ideological and intellectual advancement of the world. His social theories revolutionized the way humans related to the world and built the foundations of their society.
From Marx’s philosophical theories, the first socialist and communist regimes in history began to develop, which advocate, or so they claimed, for social and economic equality. That is why we present to you Karl Marx and the contributions of his philosophy.
Support for Free Childhood Education
In 1848, when Marx was writing the Communist Manifesto alongside Friedrich Engels, child labor was seen as normal. Marx and Engels advocated in their work for free education for all children in public schools and the abolition of child labor in factories. For Marx, it was abnormal for a child, instead of being educated and prepared, to be doing heavy work in factories that did not correspond to their age.
More Leisure Time for Workers
The Communist Manifesto supported the idea that workers should obtain two things: better working conditions and more leisure time to rest and engage in other activities. Marx was a progressive who knew the importance of leisure time to perform better in work. For Marx, a person’s life was not limited to working hours but also included hobbies, interests, education, time spent with family and oneself. This concept is increasingly difficult to implement today, but there are already companies and many people who embrace it as a basic philosophy of life.
Search for Job Satisfaction
Marx had the idea that a worker should feel happy and fully satisfied with their daily activities. Otherwise, it would be effortless for them to experience frustration and the desire to give up. Does that sound familiar? If an employee does not put their effort and talent daily into tasks that give them personal fulfillment, it will be challenging for them to perform their job with enthusiasm and satisfaction. For Marx, it was essential that employees dedicated themselves to what they knew best because their performance would be increasingly better.
Social Demonstrations Against Injustices
The main ideas of Marxism gave voice to an oppressed working class kept in subhuman conditions by a system that paid them little money, demanded exhausting working hours, and gave them little recognition for their work. Marxism allowed working conditions to change in favor of workers or for them to demand a modification of their work system. Strikes, unions, and protest marches are the result of a philosophy that promoted social awareness on different levels.
Important Economic Concepts
In addition to sociology and philosophy, Marx made significant contributions to economics with theories such as that of value, which holds that the value of an object is defined by the labor hours required to produce it. This was decisive for jobs to begin to be properly remunerated. On the other hand, Marx also developed the theory of surplus value, which holds that the value of a product or service does not always correspond to the effort invested by the worker, allowing the employer to enrich themselves at the expense of the forced and necessary work of their employee.
Story originally published in Spanish in Cultura Colectiva.