ABSTRACT
Alienation is a pervasive feature of modern life. It is one of the few theoretical terms from Marxism that has entered into ordinary language. There it usually denotes a vague feeling of malaise or meaninglessness. In Marx, however, it has a precise meaning derived from Hegel’s philosophy, and it plays a central role in Marx’s economic and social thought. For Marx, alienation is a condition in which our own activities or products take on a form that is independent of us and act against us. 1 Moreover, it is not a merely subjective feeling or appearance, it is an objective social and historical condition.
