Science and Alienation in the Work of Karl Marx

Abstract

In this paper we study the relation that Marx establishes between the phenomenon of capitalist alienation and science, focusing on the effects that this phenomenon has (according to our author) not only on the way science is conducted but also on scientific theories. For this, we make use of the distinction that Marx sets forth in his Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of four dimensions pertaining alienation (the alienation between the producer and his products, between the producer and the act of production, between the producers and their “species being” and between the producers themselves). We argue that these four dimensions are also identifiable in the scientific sphere and we proceed to identify them, providing examples taken from Marx’s works.