Social class, while it has several definitions, attempts to define the separation of different groups. Generally, people of one social class can be observed to interact more so with members of the same group.
Marx believed that the alienation of the worker was brought about by his creating a product that existed outside of him, was independent or alien from him and belonged to a power other than him. In religion this same
dynamic plays out since man’s understanding of his self, his praise of his own talents, virtues and abilities are taken from him and applied to a higher diety. Feuerbach’s perfections are taken away from man and are then applied to a religion whose underlying truths do not stem from within a man but rather from an outside entity, which imposes religion upon him.
Weber saw social class who fall on a similar part of the spectrum of wealth, prestige and power. Under him there could be several or many social levels within a class. For Marx though, social class is black and white, you are either part of the industrial elite or you are being exploited by them.
As with many black and white either or views, I think that Marx’s view has some flaw because it does not take in as broad a spectrum of society that it should. The American Society is a diverse group of people hailing from different national and economic backgrounds. I think Weber’s view is better in tuned to describe this culture that we have in the US today. Marx’s view, it should be noted came out of a specific and historic economic situation that was happening at the time of the start of the industrial revolution.
Works Cited
Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach, Tenth Edition, by James M. Henslin. Published by Allyn & Bacon. Copyright © 2010 by James M. Henslin
