THE CONCEPT OF 'SPECIES BEING' IN THE WORKS OF FEUERBACH AND MARX

KIT RICHARD CHRISTENSEN, Purdue University

Abstract

In the philosophical works of both Ludwig Feuerback (1804-1872) and Karl Marx (1818-1883), reference is made to an important technical concept usually rendered in English as 'species being' (in German: Gattungswesen). That is, in the context of the analysis of human life and activity, both philosophers periodically speak of 'man's species being', and/or just claim that 'man' is a 'species being'. The primary objectives of the present study have been: (1) to carry out a comprehensive analysis and elucidation of this concept of 'species being', and (2) to determine the degree of explanatory power that this concept has, both within the specific theoretical perspectives of Feuerbach and Marx, and, more generally, with reference to an adequate 'philosophical anthropology'. The study is divided into two general parts, plus a shorter concluding section. In Part One, the focus is on Feuerbach and his understanding of 'species being'. Included here are discussions of the influence of G. W. F. Hegel (1770-1831) on Feuerbach, the notion of 'species being' viewed as 'human essence', the human phenomena of individuation and commonality, and the process of the 'alienation' of species being and its 'de-alienation'. Part Two centers around Marx and his understanding of 'species being'. An important part of the investigation here involves an analysis of the Hegelian and Feuerbachian influences on Marx, in terms of the extent of both his appropriation and rejection of them. Also, careful attention is paid to the ways in which the notion of 'species being' is used in Marx's earlier works, in comparison with the role that that concept plays in his later works. It is argued that there is a basic continuity between Marx's earlier and later writings, even though 'species being' was for the most part not explicity referred to in the later writings. In the Conclusion, it is argued that 'species being' is a useful theoretical construct, and that Marx's utilization of the concept is ultimately more fruitful, and less abstract, than Feuerbach's.

Degree

Ph.D.

Subject Area

Philosophy

COinS