Diotima: The Marist Undergraduate Philosophy Journal
thus could potentially be eliminated from a capitalist society. More specifically,
focusing on the practical application of capitalism as it operates in praxis, I shall
argue that 1.) institutionalized discrimination in America can be explained via Karl
Marx’s theories of historical materialism and class consciousness; 2.) Attempts to
reform the capitalist system will be ineffective because institutionalized
discrimination is a prerequisite for its survival and reproduction. 3.) Neoliberalism
in capitalist societies still reinforces a culture that upholds capitalist ideals;
therefore, it cannot be an effective cure for social disparities.
I will proceed as follows in this paper. I begin by proffering a brief overview of
the different positions engaged in discourse regarding the nature of capitalism
within scholarly literature. Next, I will use a Marxist lens to examine the ongoing
racial, ethnic, sexual, and gender disparities that continue to face American society
and argue that institutionalized discrimination cannot be eradicated from the
capitalist system because it is a necessary element in its survival. I then show how
all accounts of Neoliberalism and liberal feminism are liable to falling prey to
‘pseudo - representation and false consciousness’ problems to support my claim that
capitalism and social and structural equality are incompatible. Finally, I respond to
two potential objections.
Historical Materialism, Ruling Class Theory, and Marx
Karl Marx, a 19th-century German philosopher and social theorist, offers his theory
of history to outline the relationship between a nation’s mode of production and the
material and social conditions society faces within a given historical epoch. Marx
first introduces historical materialism within his general theory of the motive forces
and laws of social change to examine history and generate solutions to social issues
in his work The German Ideology (1985). He argues that history is moved by
uprisings led by different actors against power structures and forces of oppression,
which, in simple terms, presupposes the evolution of the following historical period,
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Volume VI (2023)
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