Asked by Matthew Larson on Apr 30, 2024
Verified
What does Karl Marx mean when he says that "religion is the opium of the people?"
Karl Marx
A 19th-century philosopher, economist, and revolutionary socialist known for his critique of capitalism and development of historical materialism.
Opium of the People
A term coined by Karl Marx, referring to religion as something that provides comfort to the oppressed masses with an illusion of happiness, pacifying them and detracting from actual worldly sufferings.
- Consider the present-day disapprovals of religious concepts proposed by philosophers including Nietzsche, Marx, and Freud.
Verified Answer
ZK
Zybrea KnightMay 05, 2024
Final Answer :
Belief in God is like a drug. It soothes our suffering but prevents us from seeing the ways in which we could actually improve the world we live in. The emphasis on divine justice and on an afterlife, he charged, is rationalization and compensation for our own injustice here on earth.
Learning Objectives
- Consider the present-day disapprovals of religious concepts proposed by philosophers including Nietzsche, Marx, and Freud.
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