Marxism Lecture

Marxism & Design Activism

Aims

·      Introduce critical definition of ideology

·      Basic principles of Marxist philosophy

·      Media constitutes us as a subject

·      Culture jamming and the idea of design activism

“The philosopher have only interpreted the world in various ways the point, however, is to change it.”

Marx K (1845)

Praxis  - Thought and actions

Marxism is:

Better way of organizing society. Communism .

Philosophy. Particular way of looking at society/ also wrote about politics.

Revolutionary political movement. Rise to soviet union.

Communist took ideology from Marx.

What is Capitalism?

·      Control of the mean of production. The ability to make money and profit for a few individuals.

·      Logic of the market.

·      Everything is bought and sold even Labor (people)

·      Production of commodities for sale.

·      Make people compete.

·      Use money as a means of exchange.

Communist Evolution. Early stages of human society

·      Hunter gatherers primitive communism. Corporate at every level. Everything was shared. Social and sexual freedom.

·      Slave Society - Accidental hierarchies. Someone had power and someone didn’t.

·      Feudalism - Power changes form ruling class.

·      Capitalism  Capitalist are the ruling class

·      Socialism – workers gain class.

Marx’s Concept

Materialist

Broke into two sections

Base Economic. Forces of production. Tools, knowledge, workers, machines,

Relations of production employer/ employee. Class

Superstructure

Social institutions – Legal, political, cultural

Forms of consciousness – Ideology

Capitalism, laws, art education

Society

Superstructure

Education

Family

Mass Media

Politics

Religion

Base

Relations of Production

Means of production

As primitive societies developed. Store food. Men took control and monogamous relations were formed. Men wanted to pass down to the child.

Pyramid of capitalist oppression.

Queen is a figure head not in charge.

The Bourgeoisies. Get the state to set laws. Get army out. Control the way you think. This is done by ideology. Set up an organized religion.

Marx’s reading of religion. If we are good and honorable. You will die but rewarded with heaven. Trap, mental control.

Ideology

Marx emerges from the ruling class. Represents their world view. The working class then think like the oppressor.

Religion the opium of the masses.

Forms of ideology

Art as ideology

Artist are always from the rice class. Only rich making art. Only men making art. White rich men!

Kings and queen buy art.

Made by rich people for rich people.

Reflecting the way the ruling class think.

Disipline emerges from Marx.

Althusser 1970

Ideology offers false, but seemingly true resolutions to social imbalance.

Becomes a mechanism on how we live our lives.

The Media. Disseminates the views of the social class.

Media is a very powerful way of controlling the way we think. Only a few have an output on what we see, (Rich)