Key Concepts in Marxist Philosophy and Nietzschean Thought
Marxist Philosophy
Capital
Capitalists own the means of production—facilities, tools, raw materials—and the worker’s capacity, which they purchase as a commodity. All these constitute “capital.”
Alienation
Alienation describes the state in which individuals do not possess themselves and are not responsible for their actions and thoughts. Marx viewed this as the condition of the oppressed class in any society with private ownership of the means of production.
Workforce
The workforce encompasses the physical and mental capacities of a person, used to produce goods. It is a use-value with wages as its exchange value. The proletariat’s workforce is commonly called labor.
Capital Gains (Surplus Value)
Capital gains represent the portion of value created by the worker’s labor that is retained by the capitalist. The difference between the wage and the product’s value is the surplus value. The time to create a wage is the necessary labor time, while the time for surplus value is the surplus labor time.
Superstructure and Infrastructure
The superstructure generally refers to legal, political, ideological, and institutional phenomena (state, law, ideologies, religions, art). These are social facts determined by the economic base (infrastructure).
Value
An asset’s value is determined by the socially necessary labor for its production. This value remains constant until the necessary labor time changes. Value comprises raw materials, machinery wear, labor value, and surplus value. Exchange value (price) is influenced by market forces like supply and demand but fluctuates around the value.
Nietzschean Thought
Dionysian and Apollonian
Nietzsche identified two opposing tendencies in the Greek spirit: Apollonian (light, reason, measure) and Dionysian (darkness, instincts, ecstasy). The Apollonian view ascribes order and meaning to the world, while the Dionysian sees chaos and chance. Greek tragedy balanced these tendencies, creating beauty and harmony from Dionysian chaos.
Innocence of Becoming
This worldview opposes Christian morality, going beyond good and evil. Both Greeks and Christians saw existence as guilt-ridden, but Greeks attributed responsibility to the gods, while Christians blamed humans.
Nihilism
Nihilism, from “nihil” (nothing), denies value to existence. Nihilism of decadence views Western culture as nihilistic for focusing on the nonexistent. Active nihilism deconstructs dominant values (Nietzsche’s philosophy). Passive nihilism, believing values require God, leads to despair and inaction.
Apparent World
Nietzsche used “Platonism” for theories dividing reality into two worlds: a true world (reason, immutable, objective) and an apparent world (senses, changing, subjective). Plato’s real world is eternal, related to good and the soul, while the apparent world is tied to birth, death, evil, and the body.
Transmutation of Values
In On the Genealogy of Morality, Nietzsche critiques Christian morality by studying the origin of values. Using genealogical and etymological methods, he proposes a transmutation of values. Christian morality, based on resentment and life-denial, would be replaced by a “yes” to life, passions, and instincts. The Superman embodies this morality, accepting God’s death, eternal recurrence, and spiritualizing passions.
Unnatural Morality
Traditional (Christian) morality is unnatural because its laws oppose life’s main tendencies. It resents instincts and the natural world, evident in its obsession with limiting the body and sexuality. A healthy morality affirms life, passions, and instincts.