Labor and ‘World Alienation’: Arendt’s Critique of Marx

Tchir, Trevor

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-53438-1_5

Trevor Tchir³

Part of the book series: International Political Theory ((IPoT))

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Abstract

Chapter 5 engages with Arendt’s critique of Marx, highlighting some of Arendt’s ideas most fecund for reflection on contemporary global politics, including the ‘right to have rights.’ Arendt argues that Marx’s ‘socialized humanity’ has reflected and encouraged modern phenomena that have distorted the disclosure of the ‘who’ and the ‘world,’ namely the ‘glorification of labor,’ the ‘rise of the social,’ and ‘world alienation.’ Since Arendt holds that the ‘who’ cannot be adequately disclosed by the work of homo faber, nor labor tied to necessity, I distinguish her concept of action from Hegel’s and Marx’s work model of freedom. I assess Arendt’s critique of the ‘social question’ and address critics who read her prioritization of political freedom as a threat to justice and material equality.

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Notes

1.
Benhabib, 123.
2.
Arendt, Human Condition, 4.
3.
Ibid., 182.
4.
Arendt, “Tradition and the Modern Age” in Between Past and Future, 25.
5.
Arendt, “From Hegel to Marx” in Promise of Politics, 80.
6.
Arendt, Human Condition, 212.
7.
Ibid.
8.
Ibid., 112.
9.
Ibid., 85–88.
10.
Arendt, On Revolution, 24.
11.
Arendt, Human Condition, 118.
12.
Ibid., 46–47, 68.
13.
Ibid., 321.
14.
Canovan, 25.
15.
Pitkin, Attack of the Blob, 132.
16.
Ibid., 233.
17.
Arendt, Human Condition, 43–44.
18.
Ibid., 28–29.
19.
Arendt, “Philosophy and Politics: The Problem of Action and Thought After the French Revolution,” image 18–19.
20.
Owens, “Human Security and the Rise of the Social,” 551–65.
21.
Arendt, Human Condition, 71.
22.
Marx, “The Communist Manifesto” in Selected Writings, 175–76.
23.
Arendt, Human Condition, 255.
24.
Ibid., 256.
25.
Ibid.
26.
Ibid.
27.
Ibid., 257.
28.
Hayden, “Superfluous Humanity,” 281–82.
29.
Marx, “Theses on Feuerbach” in Selected Writings, 99.
30.
Marx, “Communist Manifesto,” 176.
31.
See Hegel, Philosophy of Right, §208–59.
32.
Arendt, On Revolution, 106.
33.
Ibid., 101–02.
34.
Villa, Politics, Philosophy, Terror, 118–19, 148.
35.
Ibid., 123.
36.
Arendt, Origins of Totalitarianism, 451.
37.
Arendt, “End of Tradition” in Promise of Politics, 88.
38.
Ibid.
39.
Canovan, 89.
40.
Arendt, Origins of Totalitarianism, 464.
41.
Owens, “Reclaiming ‘Bare Life’?” 576.
42.
Ibid., 576–77.
43.
Isaac, 64.
44.
Agamben, 188.
45.
Owens, “Reclaiming ‘Bare Life’?” 568–69.
46.
Arendt, Origins of Totalitarianism, 296–97.
47.
Balibar, 734.
48.
Ibid., 725, 730.
49.
Ibid., 731, 737.
50.
Rancière, 303.
51.
Ibid., 31.
52.
Schaap, “Enacting the Right to Have Rights,” 36.
53.
Rancière, 302.
54.
Ibid., 302–304.
55.
Birmingham, 59.
56.
Ibid., 24.
57.
Isaac, 65.
58.
Ingram, 402, 407.
59.
Ibid., 411.
60.
Williams, 199, 201.
61.
Ibid., 207.
62.
Ibid., 211.
63.
Birmingham, 61.
64.
Näsström, 546.
65.
Ibid., 558.
66.
Birmingham, 73–75.
67.
Arendt, Origins of Totalitarianism, 302.
68.
Ibid., 299.
69.
Ingram, 408.
70.
Williams, 200.
71.
Isaac, 69–70.
72.
Ibid., 71.
73.
Arato and Cohen, 139–40.
74.
Ibid., 142.
75.
Ibid., 170.
76.
Ibid., 163.
77.
Ibid., 170. Arato and Cohen’s emphasis.
78.
Arendt, “Crisis in Culture” in Between Past and Future, 210.
79.
Arendt, Human Condition, 136–37.
80.
Ibid., 156.
81.
Ibid., 307.
82.
Ibid., 61.
83.
Arendt, “Tradition and the Modern Age,” 32.
84.
Arendt, Human Condition, 163.
85.
Ibid., 78, 94.
86.
Ibid., 331n.
87.
Marx, Theories of Surplus Value, 399–401. Marx’s emphasis.
88.
Arendt, Human Condition, 87.
89.
Marx, Capital, vol. 3, 820. My emphasis.
90.
Suchting, 50.
91.
Hansen, 38.
92.
Ibid., 41.
93.
Pitkin, Attack of the Blob, 133.
94.
Marx, “Private Property and Communism” in Selected Writings, 75.
95.
Marx, “Alienated Labor” in Selected Writings, 62. Marx’s emphasis.
96.
Ollman, 172.
97.
Pitkin, Attack of the Blob, 233.
98.
Zerilli, “Arendtian Body,” 183.
99.
Ibid.
100.
Arendt, “Marx, Karl,” image 36.
101.
Taylor, Human Agency and Language, 80.
102.
Ibid., 84.
103.
Arendt, On Revolution, 48.
104.
Ibid., 61.
105.
Ibid., 64.
106.
Pitkin, Attack of the Blob, 138.
107.
Ollman, 3–40.
108.
Arendt, On Revolution, 114.
109.
Ibid., 111. Arendt’s emphasis.
110.
Feher, 20.
111.
Ibid.
112.
Arendt, On Revolution, 85, 94.
113.
Feher, 20. Feher’s emphasis.
114.
Arendt, On Revolution, 73–82.
115.
Ibid., 84.
116.
Feher, 20.
117.
Ibid., 19.
118.
Arendt, On Revolution, 69–70.
119.
Bernstein, 255–56.
120.
Wolin, S., 298.
121.
Arendt, On Revolution, 112.
122.
Ibid., 114.
123.
Reinhardt, 157.
124.
Benhabib, 139–40.
125.
Ibid.
126.
Wellmer, “Arendt on Revolution,” 235.
127.
Pitkin, “Justice,” 339.
128.
Ibid., 340.
129.
Ibid., 336.
130.
Bakan, 57–60.
131.
Arendt, “On Hannah Arendt,” 317. Original editor’s emphasis.
132.
Ibid., 320.
133.
Pitkin, “Justice,” 346.
134.
Cane, 65.
135.
Ibid., 60, 65.
136.
Arendt, Human Condition, 215–16.
137.
Ibid., 216.
138.
Ibid., 219.
139.
Markell, “Anonymous Glory,” 79.
140.
Ibid., 79, 88–89.
141.
Markell, “Arendt’s Work,” 18.
142.
Ibid.
143.
Ibid., 36.
144.
Ibid., 36–37.
145.
Ibid., 27.
146.
Ibid.
147.
Benhabib, 139–40.
148.
Villa, Arendt and Heidegger, 198.
149.
Wellmer, “Arendt on Revolution,” 235.
150.
Arendt, “On Hannah Arendt,” 317–18. Original editor’s emphasis.
151.
Bernstein, 254–55.

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Department of Law and Politics, Algoma University, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada
Trevor Tchir

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Tchir, T. (2017). Labor and ‘World Alienation’: Arendt’s Critique of Marx. In: Hannah Arendt's Theory of Political Action. International Political Theory. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53438-1_5

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53438-1_5
Published: 16 April 2017
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
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