Karl Marx
Summary
Karl Marx was a 19th-century theorist behind conflict theory, which holds that society is shaped by struggle between classes over resources. The most testable point is his split between the bourgeoisie, who own the means of production, and the proletariat, who sell their labor.
Detail
Meaning: Karl Marx was a 19th-century German thinker whose work underlies the conflict-theory approach in sociology. He argued that history is driven by struggle over material resources. In capitalism, the bourgeoisie own the means of production (factories, land, capital), while the proletariat own only their labor and sell it for wages. Owners profit from workers' labor, so the two classes have opposing interests. Two linked ideas: alienation, where workers become separated from the product, the work process, other workers, and their own potential; and false consciousness, where workers hold beliefs that obscure their exploitation. Marx expected growing class consciousness to lead workers to challenge the system.
On the MCAT: A passage describes wage gaps, harsh working conditions, or concentrated wealth, and asks which perspective explains it. The conflict-theory answer is that inequality persists because powerful groups protect their advantage. Another common item matches a worker's sense of meaninglessness on an assembly line with alienation.
Common confusion: Marx defined class by relationship to the means of production, not by income or prestige. Weber widened the picture to class, status, and power. Also keep the theorists straight: Marx goes with conflict theory, Durkheim with functionalism, and Weber with the Protestant ethic and rationalization.
Sources
- Introduction to Sociology
- Sociology: A Brief Introduction
Written for the MCAT and checked before it was published. For study reference only. Spotted an error? Let us know.