Misunderstood Marx

Ludwig Feuerbach in his work The Essence of Christianity (1881) says that "What yesterday was still religion is no longer such today, what today is atheism, tomorrow will be religion." He was right in stating that statement. That what was happened in history. The first word from Philip Jenkins book, summarized it well. "Religion die". There were great religions of the past that enjoy the majority place has became a mere monument. Manicheanism, a religion that set the flags to China and France now has disappeared. Religion die, the religious minority take the lead or often time, atheism rise (religion of man). There are lot accusations of easy associations pertaining Marx. Besides the giants name like Freud, Nietzsche, Lenin who were considered as the adherent of materialism, we cannot exclude Karl Marx from the list. Karl Marx can be said as the hardcore materialist who only asked people to "live by bread alone." 

Moreover, Marx has been associated as hard-core communisms. Against religion fierce fully because of the consequences of his strong mechanistic philosophy. True, we can say more about Him from any available caricatures of him. Countless things we can write about him. To see Marx from ethical and religious outlook. Yet, were those records are the true depiction of Marx? could be yes and no. Alain Badiou, a French philosopher and mathematician mention how the history of philosophy is the collection of the misunderstood interpretation of the former philosopher. Aristotle misunderstood Plato. Thomas Aquinas misunderstood Aristotle. Hegel Misunderstood Kant. Marx Misunderstood Hegel. We can put the list so on and so on. Can we say that we are also misunderstood Marx? 

One of the most misguided thought about Marx is to equate Marxism with Communism. But Marxism is not communism. Marxism is Marx's thought. As simple as that. Although Marx create the blue print of modern communism through his critique toward capitalism, he never create communism system as follow up. And in fact, he was introduced with the old communism ideology in France when he was a fresh man. Apparently, Marx propose the grand visions and dream that point to modern socialism/communism but not the system. The equal right and justice for the labor and distributive justice was his primary concern. Actually, Marxism was more to a "method" of seeing the world and history rather than the ideology. In Communist Manifesto he and Engels wrote how history was about the conflict between ruling class and working class. Not about God or gods of Homer. He speak only a little on how this agenda can be pushed further in the future or how the communist society should be run. He was the father of Communist manifesto but cannot be said as the father of communism for practically, Lenin and Stalin were the people who developed the more subtle modern communism.

The other confusion on the thought of Marx was on his opposition toward religion. Many religious people or atheism quote his famous saying, "religion is the opium of the masses" (Original German translated as "people"). What actually happened here was that Marx oppose the system and aspects of religion, and not religion itself. The system here can be said as Theology. He said Christianity present the "sheep" mentality  (Christian slavish nature of English proletariats). He also critique Hinduism for its degradation of man and the rightful sovereign of nature. Both according to Marx bring a passive acceptation of oppressions. Nonetheless, Marx sees religion as part of the culture, a social mechanism which civilizations were controlled. Besides, customs, norms. There was no indication that he desire to abolished religion per se in his mind. No qualm between Marx and religion. Man naturally create religions. Furthermore, from his comment in his latter toward Arnold Ruge does not portray him as anti-Semitism tendency or despise religion in a very direct manner, like the new-atheists does. Yet, it was clear for Marx, God was seen in commerce sense. To make it plain, God is the Money, so to speak. 

Although he present the materialist conception of History as oppose to Hegel's independent spirit in history (he did not incline to give a name for his philosophy), Marx did not eradicate Hegel totally. The rejection toward Hegel's Metaphysics was more coming from Feuerbach than Marx. One of the great biographer of Marx Robert C. Tuckey says that it was not Marx but Feuerbach that turn Hegel upside-down. Man is not revealed God as Hegel proposed but God is the revealed man as Feuerbach concludes (Marx feel uncomfortable of Feuerbach's burning passion in attacking religion). If Hegel present theological anthropology, Feuerbach convert theology to anthropology. God is made from the Image of God not like what religious people often says, Man was made in the image of God. In this sense, Marx somehow deviated from Feuerbach. Marx reject the traditional religion and did not mean denial of supreme being. He was actually inclusive toward religious ideology in his approach not exclusive. 

Marx  himself take  some of Hegel idea (Dialectical) and incorporated with his materialist view. His view are known to be called as dialectical materialism or more precisely, historical materialist (Scientific socialism) Dialectical Materialism  try to show how actually "idea" does not the sole reason for moving people or history as Daniel Pipes says, "Individuals may believe they are motivated by ideals-patriotism-religious fervor-justice-and humanitarianism (Hegel conception of Theses-anti Theses) but materialist invariably discern hidden economic motives." In other words, what move man and history was their stomach, their possessions, their visible treasure. Economy was the main reason! Human are always in respond to nature, for material needs (dialectic) and to satisfy their economic inclination through the class struggle. More to be said, R. Dunayevskaja argue Marx did not reject the vision of Hegel's idealism but he has his own philosophical outlook of combining both in nuance way (idealism and materialism). "Marxism may be said to be the most idealistic of all materialistic philosophy and Hegelianism the most materialistic of all idealistic philosophy", says Dunayevskaja. 

Furthermore, Marx himself basically did not ever denied the reality of mental and spiritual processes just that both are grounded on a reflection toward material conditions. Having say this, Marxism does not remove all together the elements from futurist religious system for Marx has a grand eschatological vision (the revolution that bring victory of proletariat) but secularized in its articulation. The goal is to move from primitive communism to the ideal future communisms whereby the end goal of total transformation of self, a total regeneration from "enslavement" to "freedom" in economic life can be happened. Sound a bit like Gospel a message of salvation for humanity. Clearly, this thinking was belongs to religious pattern but sadly, his vision are far yet to be and for sure, no bedrock assurance whatsoever for in essence, how can we put such a great hope in deprived mankind? And by the way, up to today, capitalism still reigns and is the dominant economic system of our day. Well, there are many more we can say about Marx. But I agree with Zizek to conclude that Marxist is not Marx. Although we claim we understand and dubbed to his philosophy, that's only secondary to the ultimate reference which is, Marx himself.