Marx's concept of alienation

Abstract

As understood by most interpreters, Marx's concept of alienation refers to a property of individuals, namely the separation from a human essence or from essential needs. I want to suggest, instead, that we pay more attention to another way in which Marx thinks about alienation, namely as the domination of society by its economic institutions. Alienation in that sense does not consist of the individual 's separation from a putative essence, but of the society's inability to be in control of its own institutions particularly its economic institutions. Alienation is a major restriction of freedom.