Marxist Philosophy: Key Terms and Concepts
**Glossary of Marxist Philosophy**
**Alignment**
Also known as *alienation* or *estrangement*. It refers to the circumstance in which a person is not the master of themselves, or ultimately responsible for their actions and thoughts. For Marx, it is the condition in which the oppressed class lives in every exploitative society, in any society that supports private ownership of the means of production.
**Economic Base**
An expression with which Marx refers to the economic structure. He stated that this structure is the foundation of the social structure.
**Real Base**
An expression with which Marx refers to the economic structure. He stated that this structure is the foundation of the social structure, and that this structure is the actual structure of society.
**Capital**
One of the three factors which, next to labor and land, structure modern bourgeois society. This means the buildings, equipment, or any type of facilities that, in collaboration with work, produce goods for consumption. Capital generally does not expressly refer to any of the specific ways that capital can take.
**Class**
A set of human beings occupying the same place with respect to the production process. There is a division between the rich and the poor, which is its consequence. Class has three features:
- It is defined in terms of whether or not it owns the means of production, depending on its place in the labor market and whether it dominates or is dominated.
- It is a social group and faces another antagonistic group.
- Its members have common interests, but not all are aware of it.
**Philosophical Consciousness**
All philosophical ideas are part of consciousness. Unlike the rest of the ideological elements, these ideas propose a radical and comprehensive explanation of all that exists. Marx moves from a philosophical consciousness dominated by Hegelian idealism to one dominated by historical materialism.
**Economic Policy**
A history of the current economy, which is a discipline that emerged in the 18th century and seeks a new socio-economic reality for industrialized countries. It is believed that *The Wealth of Nations* by Smith marks its origin. It is a new knowledge that theorizes, giving an overview of how industrial economies create new wealth. Its essential thesis is that the wealth of nations is not in their lands but in their ability to produce at work.
**Age of Disorder**
An expression with which Marx refers to the period in which there is a social revolution.
**State**
For Marx, like Hegel, the State issued from society and opposed it. But unlike Hegel, Marx found the cause of this process in economic relations based on private property, which enabled a group of men to stand as carriers of social order and present their interests as the interests of society, creating a great mechanism for its safekeeping.
**Economic Structure**
The production relations of society. These are the relationships established between those involved in the work process, depending on whether or not they are owners, and the relations with which these agents provide the means of work. It determines the rest of the elements of society.