Alienation is an important concept in the writings of Marx. In order properly to understand what Marx meant by alienation, we must first look at his idea of human nature. Marx believed that humans are naturally creative. Although they need to produce things in order to survive, in the act of production, whether this is growing or making something, they release the creativity and innovation that is their true nature. In doing this, they shape and mould the society in which they live. This means that the nature of society is the result of human actions, rather than being formed by seemingly impersonal forces.
Marx referred to our capacity for work as our ‘species being’ — that which makes us truly human. In the process of working, however, we also become ‘social beings’, because in order to produce what we need to live, we need to cooperate and work together.
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