Differing Views on Freedom in Arendt and Marx's Works

On the topics of freedom, citizenship, and economics, Hannah Arendt and Karl Marx had opposing views. Born in Germany, Hannah Arendt was a writer who gained recognition for her political and philosophical theories. Karl Marx, who was also born in Germany, was a philosopher, political theorist, and strong advocate of communism. Although she acknowledged that Marx had been a great thinker, Arendt often criticized Marx in her work. Arendt thought that freedom was the ability to be creative and unpredictable in order to start something new; an asset that all humans are born with. This idea of freedom, to Arendt, was unrelated to the economic state of a society. Furthermore, Arendt believed that the key to freedom is political action. On the other hand, Marx believed that freedom was the ability to be self-actualized; that is, acting for the purpose of self-fulfillment. This conception of freedom, to Marx, was only attainable in a society with no class conflict. While Marx makes a compelling argument, Arendt’s is more convincing because it is more attainable; it is nearly impossible for a society to not have some sort of class conflict.

It is clear in Hannah Arendt’s work that she had been inspired by Aristotle. This is most noticeable by the fact that she considered humans to be of political nature; just as Aristotle believed that man is a political animal. Action, especially political action, was one of the three categories that made up Arendt’s concept of the vita activa, or, active life. This political action consisted of meeting with others in a public space in order to make change. In addition to action was labor, for maintaining human life, and work, for preserving our world; Arendt heavily emphasized the difference between the two. Furthermore, Arendt believed that an individual's freedom consisted of their ability to take political action; meaning that freedom is largely political. In her book titled Between Past and Future, Arendt states “the field where freedom has always been known, not as a problem, to be sure, but as a fact of everyday life, is the political realm” (Arendt, 146). This entails that freedom, to Arendt, is nearly guaranteed in politics. In her work, Arendt stresses that her conception of freedom differs from the concept of free will, which is the ability to act as one chooses, or inner freedom, which is essentially the feeling of being free from constraints. Moreover, Arendt did not see a correlation between freedom and the economic state of a society. In fact, Arendt believed that freedom was found in a society beyond the necessity of a strong economy. Within her book On Revolution, Arendt writes “economic growth may one day turn out to be a curse rather than a good, and under no conditions can it either lead into freedom or constitute a proof for its existence” (Arendt, 209). Clearly, Arendt did not believe that freedom was linked to the state of a society’s economy.

Unlike Arendt, Karl Marx believed that an individual’s freedom was dependent on the status of their economy. He thought that freedom was found only in a society that was both economically and socially equal. Extremely critical of capitalism, Marx believed that it created an unethical relationship between workers and their employers. As a result, class conflict is created. Additionally, under capitalism, workers participate in labor for the benefit of their employer as opposed to doing so for their own interest. In this scenario, workers must work to meet their needs, or, necessities, and employers exploit workers in order to fuel their desires. The disconnect between workers and the good that they produce through their labor is considered to be alienation to Marx. Marx believed that alienation restricted an individual’s freedom. Within his Selected Writings, Marx states “the more the worker produces, the less he has to consume; the more values he creates the more worthless and unworthy he becomes; the better shaped his product, the more misshapen is he; the more civilized his product, the more barbaric is the worker; the more powerful the work, the more powerless becomes the worker; the more intelligence the work has, the more witless is the worker and the more he becomes a slave of nature” (Marx, 61). In other words, the more an individual participates in labor that is not for his benefit, the less free he becomes. Furthermore, Marx believed that freedom could only occur if class conflict was eradicated. Within a society with no class conflict, people do not have to have to work in order to cover their basic needs or desires. In Marx’s ideal society, the state provides each individual with these needs. Thus, individuals have the ability to engage in labor that is merely for their own enjoyment or benefit. This, to Marx, is true freedom.

Although Marx’s idea of freedom and his model society is alluring, Arendt’s is more persuasive because it seems more feasible. Given the state of modern capitalism around the world, the idea of a classless community is very appealing. The inequality among social and economic classes is immense. Furthermore, the concept of working strictly for one’s own pleasure is highly attractive. However, it is impossible; the purpose of any job is to cover one’s basic needs. While it is still not ideal, Arendt’s concept of freedom is seemingly more plausible. Considering the current state of American politics, political participation is more important than ever. However, many American’s would say that political action is not a crucial aspect of their lives; at least not to the extent that Arendt stresses. People typically associate the idea of freedom with free will or inner freedom, which clashes with Arendt’s ideologies.

Overall, Hannah Arendt and Karl Marx had differing views on the definition of freedom and its relation to economics. Hannah Arendt saw freedom as political; it is the ability to act politically in a public environment. Arendt did not believe that freedom was determined by the condition of the economy. Constrastingly, Karl Marx believed that freedom was found through self-actualization; one’s ability to perform labor for the purpose of their own satisfaction. This, according to Marx, was only obtainable within a society with no class conflict. While Marx’s concept of freedom is attractive, it is nearly impossible. Thus, Arendt’s idea of freedom is slightly more convincing.