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SOC 3353 Exam 1 Questions with Correct
Answers | Updated (100% Correct Answers)
Please describe Hegel's concept of the dialectic (in your own words).
Answer: Hegel's concept of the dialectic focuses on the idea that
our society is filled with contradictions and by studying these
contradictions and how they are developed, we can better
understand the real world. Hegel also believed that contradictions in
dialectics could be used to understand changes in history.
How did Marx reform Hegel's ideas regarding the dialectic? Answer:
Marx reformed Hegel's ideas regarding the dialectic by looking
beyond the contradictions of our society and looking at real life
situations to understand our society. Marx did not believe Hegel's
ideas that contradictions were used to understand changes in our
history.
What is alienation from Marx's point of view and how is this
concept related to capitalist production? Answer: From Marx's point
of view, alienation the estrangement of people from their human
nature to work for their own direct benefit as a result of a
capitalistic society. Although we are autonomous human beings, in a
capitalistic society, the purpose of labor has shifted from the worker
determining and directly benefiting from goods and services to
working for the benefit of the boss or company. This alienation in a
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,2
capitalistic society cause people to be unable to express themselves,
leading the unproductive members of society.
What are the four basic components of alienation? (Marx) Answer:
The first is that workers are alienated from their productive activity,
meaning that workers do not produce things based on their needs
but the needs of the capitalist.
The second is the alienation from the product. Alienation from the
product refers to workers not owning the finished product, but the
capitalist owning the product. Although the worker made the
product, they are expected to purchase it just like a regular
customer and profit from the product go to the capitalist.
The third basic component of alienation is alienation from fellow
workers. In this capitalistic society, workers may find it hard to work
as a team due to isolation caused by technology or given specific
tasks to complete. Competition is also created to see who can
produce more products or give better service. Workers are given
rewards and reprimands, pitting employees against each other.
The fourth basic component of alienation is alienation from human
potential. Capitalistic society can cause workers to feel like machines
and less like human beings.
What are the stages of development of the division of labor
discussed by Marx? Answer: The first form is tribal ownership, which
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, 3
is the hunter/gatherer stage. Families travel in order to hunt and
gather food. This was the beginning development stage and not
many developments were made.
The second stage is communal and state ownership. In this stage,
families and tribes came together to form communities. This stage
also saw the controlling of slaves and permanent homes.
The last stage is feudal and estate property. In this stage, there are
larger communities with an established hierarchy and means of
production.
What did Marx say about class conflict and social progress? Answer:
Marx said although Germany was modernizing and industrializing,
the industry was unregulated and that individuals were dying in
factories. He believed that the industry was creating a divide
between two classes; the proletariat and the bourgeois. Marx said
that the proletariat was being exploited by the bourgeois capitalists
system and there was a divide between the poor and the healthy.
However, he did believe that this divide was larger in the feudal
times, so he did think things were getting better. He thought the
revolution (conflict) was the engine of change and progress.
What did Marx mean by the social relations of production? Answer:
When Marx referred to the social relations of production, he meant
that an individual must be able to engage in the "creative progress"
© 2025 All rights reserved
SOC 3353 Exam 1 Questions with Correct
Answers | Updated (100% Correct Answers)
Please describe Hegel's concept of the dialectic (in your own words).
Answer: Hegel's concept of the dialectic focuses on the idea that
our society is filled with contradictions and by studying these
contradictions and how they are developed, we can better
understand the real world. Hegel also believed that contradictions in
dialectics could be used to understand changes in history.
How did Marx reform Hegel's ideas regarding the dialectic? Answer:
Marx reformed Hegel's ideas regarding the dialectic by looking
beyond the contradictions of our society and looking at real life
situations to understand our society. Marx did not believe Hegel's
ideas that contradictions were used to understand changes in our
history.
What is alienation from Marx's point of view and how is this
concept related to capitalist production? Answer: From Marx's point
of view, alienation the estrangement of people from their human
nature to work for their own direct benefit as a result of a
capitalistic society. Although we are autonomous human beings, in a
capitalistic society, the purpose of labor has shifted from the worker
determining and directly benefiting from goods and services to
working for the benefit of the boss or company. This alienation in a
© 2025 All rights reserved
,2
capitalistic society cause people to be unable to express themselves,
leading the unproductive members of society.
What are the four basic components of alienation? (Marx) Answer:
The first is that workers are alienated from their productive activity,
meaning that workers do not produce things based on their needs
but the needs of the capitalist.
The second is the alienation from the product. Alienation from the
product refers to workers not owning the finished product, but the
capitalist owning the product. Although the worker made the
product, they are expected to purchase it just like a regular
customer and profit from the product go to the capitalist.
The third basic component of alienation is alienation from fellow
workers. In this capitalistic society, workers may find it hard to work
as a team due to isolation caused by technology or given specific
tasks to complete. Competition is also created to see who can
produce more products or give better service. Workers are given
rewards and reprimands, pitting employees against each other.
The fourth basic component of alienation is alienation from human
potential. Capitalistic society can cause workers to feel like machines
and less like human beings.
What are the stages of development of the division of labor
discussed by Marx? Answer: The first form is tribal ownership, which
© 2025 All rights reserved
, 3
is the hunter/gatherer stage. Families travel in order to hunt and
gather food. This was the beginning development stage and not
many developments were made.
The second stage is communal and state ownership. In this stage,
families and tribes came together to form communities. This stage
also saw the controlling of slaves and permanent homes.
The last stage is feudal and estate property. In this stage, there are
larger communities with an established hierarchy and means of
production.
What did Marx say about class conflict and social progress? Answer:
Marx said although Germany was modernizing and industrializing,
the industry was unregulated and that individuals were dying in
factories. He believed that the industry was creating a divide
between two classes; the proletariat and the bourgeois. Marx said
that the proletariat was being exploited by the bourgeois capitalists
system and there was a divide between the poor and the healthy.
However, he did believe that this divide was larger in the feudal
times, so he did think things were getting better. He thought the
revolution (conflict) was the engine of change and progress.
What did Marx mean by the social relations of production? Answer:
When Marx referred to the social relations of production, he meant
that an individual must be able to engage in the "creative progress"
© 2025 All rights reserved
