Marx’s Critique of Enlightenment Humanism

Abstract

The article explores Marx's critique of Enlightenment humanism, aimed at establishing real humanism synonymous with real materialism. Marx's ecological critique of capitalist society was thus crucial as it was focused on the reconciliation of humanity and nature. Marx's analysis emphasized the need for revolutionary praxis, rooted in a new human ecology and the creation of a world beyond capital. The article shows that modern posthumanism largely unconsciously reproduces Marx's radical criticism of such basic ideas of Enlightenment humanism as anthropocentrism, the ontological division between human and nonhuman animals, the opposition of society and nature, and Prometheanism. However, Marx himself is accused by posthumanists of these Enlightenment "sins" that have led to a global environmental crisis.At the same time, posthumanists declare, within the framework of their flat ontology, total equality, and solidarity between everything that exists - from microbes to clouds. According to them, only such a "democratic ontology" is able to prevent a global ecological crisis. But from the author's point of view, the flat ontology, cyborgism and new materialism actually turn into an insane production of phantoms, which leads to a dead end, because in this "phantasmagoria" all connection with the real world is cut off. And only a turn from posthumanism to reality can save the planet from ecological rifts, disruptions, and crises generated by capitalism. This can be achieved by referring to Marx's philosophy of praxis and his ecological concept ofsocial metabolism.

Keywords

• marx
• enlightenment humanism
• posthumanism
• human and nonhuman animals
• flat ontology
• real materialism
• ecology
• capitalism
• philosophy of praxis
• social metabolism.