16. Freedom from Alienation as Self-Determination
Marx wanted to end alienation: workers disconnected from their labor, products, and each other. “The worker becomes all the poorer the more wealth he produces,” he noted in Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts, describing how capitalism separates people from their creative power. He envisioned a society where individuals controlled their work and lives, reconnecting with their essential humanity through unalienated labor and genuine community. Self-determination would replace the fragmentation capitalism created.
