Dehumanization: Marxism and Modern Era Essay

dehumanisation is the process of stripping a charge or denying others access to basic human qualities or rights. An ideal society would be free of this inequality, however, during the newfangled eon, encouraged by capitalism and free competition, it is catchy to maintain complete equality and clean-livingness. In occurrence, three controls from the reading list, Marxs Communist Manifesto, Sumners essay, What the complaisant Classes Owe to Each Other, and Primo Levis tale of Survival at Auschwitz, actually illustrate how awkward ideas and cultural values of the era make it to eliminate dehumanization. Although, the situations presented in each of the book atomic number 18 in truth different, they mainly deal with the loss or diminishment of four basic human qualities the natural value in being human, the uniqueness of the individual, the freedom to act and make decisions, and the equality of status. This paper allow analyze not only how these qualities were diminished in e ach of the cases in the modern era but also work out to see if dehumanization was resisted. Communist ManifestoThe Communist Manifesto, written by Karl Marx, attempts to explain the goals of Communism as well as the theories underlying this movement. It argues that class struggle, or the exploitation of one class by another, beget been occurring for generations. Marx quotes, The history of all hitherto existing society has been the history of class struggles (79). Class relationships are define by an eras means of production. However, However, correcttually these relationships cease to be harmonious with the developing forces of production. At this point, a rotary motion occurs and a new class emerges as the ruling one. Specifically, the Modern industrial era is characterized by the class conflict between the middle class and proletariat. The bourgeoisie consisted of employers of laborers or the owners of the means of production. The proletariat delineate the wage laborers and they were dehumanized. In fact, the bourgeoisie violated all four of the main human qualities listed in the introduction.Firs, the fact that there was an economically based class system indicated inequality in status. Second, since the bourgeoisie class utilize the proletariat thereby controlling the action and decision of the lower class. Third, the bourgeoisie in he modern era clumped the entire proletariat class together and considered them mere laborers, Fourth, Marx believed that wage laborers working with machinery dehumanized the worker. valet values were diminished since laboring class could be easily replaced by machinery in some instances for to a greater extent efficiency. Any one of these violations alone butt end stand as mere inequality however, when many more of these violations get stacked, inequality becomes a form of dehumanization. thus, as production demand increased, the exploitation by the bourgeoisie class of the proletariat class increased.Eventually, t his would anger the proletariat class enough to start a revolution and overthrow the bourgeoisie. Marx wrote, The bourgeoisie is unfit to rule because it is incompetent to assure an existence to its slave within his slavery, because it squeeze outnot help let him sink into such a sound out, that it has to feed him, instead of being fed by him. Society can no longer live under this bourgeoisie, in other words, its existence is no longer compatible with society (93). This uprising would be the Proletariats form of resistance against dehumanization.However, unlike previous revolution, where powers gravely shifted from one class to another, Marx predicts that class will be eliminated altogether and a truly equal and pretty state would emerge. Readers cant help but feel skeptical while reading Marxs theory due to the dictators present in contemporary day communist countries. However, it is important to know that these current day communist countries only got influenced by Marxs ide al but did no fully restrain out his theoretical society. What the Social Classes Owe to Each OtherWilliam Graham Sumner was influenced by Social Darwinists and argued in his writing that helping the poor would only interfere with laws of nature and slow down evolutionary progression. In fact, Sumner argued that a poor or a weak person were merely lazy and they did not exist. Therefore Sumner wrote, A maudlin impulse to prolong the lives of the unfit stands in the way of this beneficent purging of the loving organism (45). He would further defend about not giving by writing, we all owe to each other good-will, mutual pry, and mutual guarantees of liberty and security. Beyond this nothing can be corroborate as a duty of one group to another in a free state (49).In addition, he believed that if was unfair how if the rich, comfortable, prosperous, virtuous, respectable, educated, and healthy cannot make everybody else as well off as themselves, they are to be brought down to the sa me misery as others (62). In another words, Sumner did not think it was fair how the rich were expected to help the poor, and if not was possibly penalized. Unlike the Marxs Manifesto, the opposing classes are not clearly defined. However, it is still assumed from Sumners writing that Sumner values some disembodied spirit over another.For example, when he writes, society is constantly excreting its unhealthy, imbecile, slow, vacillating, faithless members to leave room for the deserving (45). With this remark, and many others similar to it, Sumner dehumanizes populate who did not succeed. While, a positive message is being sent by Sumner in a way by encouraging citizens to work hard, Sumner is inconsiderate of those who like the proletariats, have no control over their life due to greedy overbearing employers. The only option that Sumner gives to resist the dehumanization is to keep working hard and do not accept defeat. Survival at AuschwitzMany have heard the accounts of the hol ocaust to begin with in history class or in other books on the subject however Levi truly does an excellent job giving the readers detailed glimpse into what it really is like to go from being a free human being, then being stripped down to nothing. His intention for the book was not to recrudesce new accusations but rather to furnish documentation for a quiet study of certain aspects of the human melodic theme (9). This book demonstrates dehumanization at its worst. It was established in the introduction that often times Men and women were hard-boiled like animals while getting dehumanized. Yet, the people at Auschwitz were actually getting treated worse than inventory. This is because with livestock at least they were somewhat cared for before they were killed, and even if they werent they were killed to serve a higher purpose. On the other hand, the prisoners at the concentration camps were starved, killed, and then deserted.Unlike the other two books, this book contains so very much elements of dehumanization that no amount of pages would be enough to capture it all however, it is important to draw from this book also how people have truly used every inch of their will power to take heed and maintain their self-value. How did the prisoners resist the urge to admit defeat and continue resist dehumanization? How did they when even medium moral world (86) like good, and evil begin to get mixed up and the differences between these opposites became indecipherable? Levi present a man in his story, who may have been physically reduced but who is an nuts man and a survivor, the most adaptable, the human type most suited to this way of living (97). visualized by this insane man, Elias is a strong message that morals and self-value can adapt and survive even in the most extreme situation. ConclusionBased on the scenarios presented by the three books, and personal discretion of dehumanization, I believe it cannot be absent in modern era society. The degre e to which dehumanization can occur is extremely varied, and while we can hope and wait for it to merely pass by, it is better to act. listen to resist dehumanization as much as can, as Levis character Elias demonstrated, with strong will power and determination, there are so much we can achieve. Perhaps, while we may not be able to eliminate several factors of unfairness or inequality, we can still treat people with respect and at least eliminate dehumanization.