Marx and the Problem of Ideology

Marx and the Problem of Ideology
1. Karl Marx
• Brief biographical information regarding Karl Max
• Brief educational background and a mention of philosophers who influenced Karl Marx’s thinking and reasoning significantly. These will include:
 Hegel
 Georg Lukacs
 Fredric Jameson
• A brief introduction of the Marxist philosophy
• Marxist philosophy on capitalism, his theory on history, on human nature, wage labor and economic inequality
2. The Problem of Ideology
• A definition of the problem of ideology
• The history and origin of the problem of ideology
• The importance of ideology to sociological inquiry
• The contributions of other philosophers on the problem of ideology. These philosophers will include:
 Mannheim
 Focault
 Lyotard
 Baudrillard
• A summary of what these contributions mean for the problem of ideology
3. Marxist Theory and the Problem of Ideology
• How the concept of ideology affects the normality of ideas and everyday existence
• How ideology is related to capitalism
• How ideology can be used to explain the relationship between money and power
• How money influences politics with examples from
 Saudi Arabia
 United States
• Ideology relates to consumption
• A summary of how Marx explains various concepts of capitalism, and relates them to the problem of ideology
4. A summary and conclusion of how Marx’s exploration of the problem of ideology can be applied to other aspects of life, more so those that result in social stratification.
References
Dillon, M. (2009). Introduction to Sociological Theory: Theorists, Concepts, and their Applicability to the Twenty-First Century. Wiley-Blackwell.
Lemert, C. (2009). Social Theory: The Multicultural and Classic Readings. Westview Press.