alienation_encapsulation

Alienation, Encapsulation, and Ancient Technology

Alienation has something of a curious position in Marxist thought. On the one hand, it's probably the most popular, and well-understood, portion of Marx. Everybody, from christians to conservatives, see alienation as key to the general malaise we find ourselves in - even if they rarely use the marxist term.

The reason for this is simple. Alienation predates Marx - probably finding its earliest expression in the Book of Genesis. Adam and Eve, living in the Garden, are at one with nature. Then, after they eat the apple, they are cast out into the messy world of representation - where doubt, misunderstanding, and deception plague every relation between mind and thing. They no longer eat the fruit of the garden, but rather must toil to bring it out of the earth. They are nakedly visible to eachother, but rather hide behind clothes.

This is an inauspicious start. Marxism's already uneasy relationship with present and future history, as established in the Bible, does not need another biblical sheep in communist wolf's clothing.