What can we make of Marx's contributions to sociology?
The ideas that Marx proposed were indeed controversial then and have opened my eyes to various
things I overlooked in the past. Karl Marx was one of the early sociologists to lay the basic foundations
of what we modernly define as communism. He served a substantial role in clarifying the flaws he
believed were pivotal in the capitalist economic system at his time, which, according to him, would
eventually lead to the collapse of the economy in societies, thus effectuating a prominent series of social
issues (The Investopedia Team, 2021). His dominant communist advocate and activist nature influenced
his criticisms of the escalating capitalist economy, mainly made right around the Industrial Revolution.
Eventually, Marxism emerged, a philosophical theory revolving around the skirmish between the
working force (the proletariat) and the business owners (the bourgeoisie) in a capitalist society.
Collectively, one can understand that despite Marx's communist agenda, his goal was to pinpoint the
disparities a capitalist society has and how it will wreak havoc on itself, causing its disembodiment as a
result of conflicts between the preexistent class categories. We can also understand the way Marx
described capitalism as "unjust" and "duping to the workers" since, according to him, it generates its
profit from the mere utilization of the worker (Wolff and Leopold, 2020). So, in other words, we can
corroborate Marx's works with the reality of the capitalist society and how his analysis provided a
comprehensive insight into the bitter aspects of capitalism. #2 Perceptions I encountered in my society
Although I do not abide by Marx's principles and ideas, it is undeniably apparent how accurately
described his claims were about the power dynamic and its effect on society. I encounter the abuse of
positions and class categories daily in the country I currently reside in since xenophobia is commonplace.
And it recurs so often that some low-paying job occupations, especially ones that do not require a high
level of education or are more effort-demanding, have been restricted to specific nationalities (since
foreigners here visit the country mainly for work), the same way these jobs became affiliated with them.
Not generalizing this, but the bourgeoisie in my society exploits the fact that these workers usually come
from much poorer countries and employ them for work that is twice as hard with stable low wages. And
because these workers require this financial income, they are forced to adhere to the circumstances,
disregarding awareness of the injustice they have encountered for a long time. Crime rates and reports
of rebellion are pretty low, however, because it is a country where religion forms a notable role in how
people interact with each other, which solidifies Durkheim's claim about how religion maintains a
functionalist state of mind between people that amalgamates them together (Little, Vyain, Scaramuzzo,
Cody-Rydzewski, Griffiths, Strayer, Keirns, McGivern, 2014). Marx might be right in conceptualizing class
inequity, but I do not believe that what he describes as an "inevitability of human development" is true,
for societies function differently even if some patterns show.
Resources
The Investopedia Team, (2021), Marxism: Theory, Effects, and Examples, Investopedia
(https://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/marxism.asp)
Wolff, J., & Leopold, D, (2020), Karl Marx, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
(https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/marx/#pagetopright) Little, W., Vyain, S., Scaramuzzo, G., Cody-
The ideas that Marx proposed were indeed controversial then and have opened my eyes to various
things I overlooked in the past. Karl Marx was one of the early sociologists to lay the basic foundations
of what we modernly define as communism. He served a substantial role in clarifying the flaws he
believed were pivotal in the capitalist economic system at his time, which, according to him, would
eventually lead to the collapse of the economy in societies, thus effectuating a prominent series of social
issues (The Investopedia Team, 2021). His dominant communist advocate and activist nature influenced
his criticisms of the escalating capitalist economy, mainly made right around the Industrial Revolution.
Eventually, Marxism emerged, a philosophical theory revolving around the skirmish between the
working force (the proletariat) and the business owners (the bourgeoisie) in a capitalist society.
Collectively, one can understand that despite Marx's communist agenda, his goal was to pinpoint the
disparities a capitalist society has and how it will wreak havoc on itself, causing its disembodiment as a
result of conflicts between the preexistent class categories. We can also understand the way Marx
described capitalism as "unjust" and "duping to the workers" since, according to him, it generates its
profit from the mere utilization of the worker (Wolff and Leopold, 2020). So, in other words, we can
corroborate Marx's works with the reality of the capitalist society and how his analysis provided a
comprehensive insight into the bitter aspects of capitalism. #2 Perceptions I encountered in my society
Although I do not abide by Marx's principles and ideas, it is undeniably apparent how accurately
described his claims were about the power dynamic and its effect on society. I encounter the abuse of
positions and class categories daily in the country I currently reside in since xenophobia is commonplace.
And it recurs so often that some low-paying job occupations, especially ones that do not require a high
level of education or are more effort-demanding, have been restricted to specific nationalities (since
foreigners here visit the country mainly for work), the same way these jobs became affiliated with them.
Not generalizing this, but the bourgeoisie in my society exploits the fact that these workers usually come
from much poorer countries and employ them for work that is twice as hard with stable low wages. And
because these workers require this financial income, they are forced to adhere to the circumstances,
disregarding awareness of the injustice they have encountered for a long time. Crime rates and reports
of rebellion are pretty low, however, because it is a country where religion forms a notable role in how
people interact with each other, which solidifies Durkheim's claim about how religion maintains a
functionalist state of mind between people that amalgamates them together (Little, Vyain, Scaramuzzo,
Cody-Rydzewski, Griffiths, Strayer, Keirns, McGivern, 2014). Marx might be right in conceptualizing class
inequity, but I do not believe that what he describes as an "inevitability of human development" is true,
for societies function differently even if some patterns show.
Resources
The Investopedia Team, (2021), Marxism: Theory, Effects, and Examples, Investopedia
(https://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/marxism.asp)
Wolff, J., & Leopold, D, (2020), Karl Marx, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
(https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/marx/#pagetopright) Little, W., Vyain, S., Scaramuzzo, G., Cody-
