Famous Karl Marx Quotes
October 2, 2021 at 4:26 pm
(This post was last modified: October 2, 2021 at 5:47 pm by vulcanlogician.)
***-- If you have an interesting Karl Marx quote, share it here. Feel free to analyze your quote or discuss whether you agree/disagree with it. --***
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"Philosophers have hitherto only interpreted the world in various ways; the point is to change it."
-- Karl Marx (from Theses on Feuerbach)
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I'm sure most everybody has heard this quote before. It has been a very influential quote, especially to Marxists (obviously). I like the notion... the importance of putting one's analysis into action so to speak. But I also have problems with it.
One could argue that the first clause is inaccurate. Philosophers had inspired plenty of change in the world before Marx came along. It could be seen as a jibe against the Hegelian method which is very focused on interpretation, but Marx didn't specify Hegel. Plenty of arguments that philosophy and philosophers throughout history did plenty to inspire change (going all the way back to Socrates).
Also, I tend to see interpretation and changing the world like a left foot and right foot of progress. Interpretation and change aid one another. Marx seems to suggest that we stop interpreting and focus everything on changing the world. That's dangerous. But maybe Marx didn't really mean that.
Anyway, I have more analysis, but I would like to hear others' opinions on the quote. Do you like the quote? What's your analysis of it?
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"Philosophers have hitherto only interpreted the world in various ways; the point is to change it."
-- Karl Marx (from Theses on Feuerbach)
***
I'm sure most everybody has heard this quote before. It has been a very influential quote, especially to Marxists (obviously). I like the notion... the importance of putting one's analysis into action so to speak. But I also have problems with it.
One could argue that the first clause is inaccurate. Philosophers had inspired plenty of change in the world before Marx came along. It could be seen as a jibe against the Hegelian method which is very focused on interpretation, but Marx didn't specify Hegel. Plenty of arguments that philosophy and philosophers throughout history did plenty to inspire change (going all the way back to Socrates).
Also, I tend to see interpretation and changing the world like a left foot and right foot of progress. Interpretation and change aid one another. Marx seems to suggest that we stop interpreting and focus everything on changing the world. That's dangerous. But maybe Marx didn't really mean that.
Anyway, I have more analysis, but I would like to hear others' opinions on the quote. Do you like the quote? What's your analysis of it?
