Engels and The Origin of Family
Engels, a German philosopher, devoted his life to creating a revolution that can change society for the better. Some of his radical opinions consist of three main parts: his interpretation of history, the social changes that came with these interpretations, and his harsh critiques on Capitalism as the result of these social changes. I want to begin with pointing out his findings on the social aspect of human development throughout history, and how he associated the development of the family parallel to this social change. Second, I want to discuss the problematic aspects of our current social development in society from Engels' opinion. Finally, I will point out a few counter-arguments to his own.
In the philosopher's "The Origin of Family" Engels explains the evolutionary change in family structure according to each development stage. Human history is based on three stages: Savagery, Barbarism and Civilization. Savagery involved everything in its natural state, Barbarism was when humans took what was in its natural state and turned it into a production, like agriculture. Finally, civilization, which is the industrialized and more advanced society. Engels argued that each stage has a different form of family.
In the very beginning, group marriage was the dominant norm in society, with the only barrier being marriage outside of one's generation. The second stage was the Penulian family, where the exclusion of one marrying another out of her/his generation extended to siblings, cousins and ultimately relatives. Family become separated, and as the division increases, so does the creation of private property and wealth. The third stage of family, the Pairing family, comes from the upper stages of Barbarism, where polygamy of the man is still common, but for the woman is no longer acceptable, as it begins to carry social and legal baggage. But if the husband and wife separate, the children remain with the mother. During this stage we find the Mother Right and communistic household ways begin to deteriorate. Finally, monogamous marriage appears in the civilized society, where male supremacy consists of its base, a woman's legitimacy of child bearing is the condition, and the degradation of women is the result.
The Monogamous family derived from economics and inheritance. Thus making male supremacy the first essential factor to monogamous marriage for the man. Monogamy had become required because of inheritance, the male was to own his wife, children, slaves and house under his private property. Engels sees this ownership of property as the first clear division of inequality between men and women where the woman becomes inferior to him. women no longer experience the sexual freedom that was once theirs in group marriage. He saw Monogamy as one step forward to a new societal development, but one step back for inequality in terms of creating pleasure for some and misery for the rest.
Engels saw that in order to understand human history it is important to see it from the aspect of class struggle in a particular society. During the nineteenth century the dominating classes at that time were the Bourgeois and the Proletariats. The Bourgeois class of an industrial culture was the ruling class. It owned the production and industries. Through this ownership they were able to create many job opportunities and discover new markets. More trade led to competition which ultimately led to further distances of commerce.
Unfortunately, through this ownership they were also able to abuse the power they possessed. The abuse of power led to the dehumanization of the Proletariat class. They refused their civil rights, economic wealth and government rights to participate in ruling the state. By turning themselves from the producers to the production, they have become the base of the capitalist society. Therefore, the exploitation of the Proletariats created development for the Bourgeois, but misery for the rest.
The two classes were in constant struggle. The proletariats did not own wealth the same way the Bourgeois did. Their wealth was considered to be their children and the number of hours they can work for a wage. The Proletariats wanted their wages to be high as possible, the Bourgeois wanted the opposite to make the most profit. The Proletariats represent the Capitalist's working class and is considered the lower class.
Along the lines of class struggles, he saw the differences within the women, which depended on the social class they were in. The proletariat woman was considered more free than the Bourgeois woman, because of the expectation of her work to be outside the home, whereas the bourgeois woman was not privileged with the same expectation.
In the philosopher's "The Origin of Family" Engels explains the evolutionary change in family structure according to each development stage. Human history is based on three stages: Savagery, Barbarism and Civilization. Savagery involved everything in its natural state, Barbarism was when humans took what was in its natural state and turned it into a production, like agriculture. Finally, civilization, which is the industrialized and more advanced society. Engels argued that each stage has a different form of family.
In the very beginning, group marriage was the dominant norm in society, with the only barrier being marriage outside of one's generation. The second stage was the Penulian family, where the exclusion of one marrying another out of her/his generation extended to siblings, cousins and ultimately relatives. Family become separated, and as the division increases, so does the creation of private property and wealth. The third stage of family, the Pairing family, comes from the upper stages of Barbarism, where polygamy of the man is still common, but for the woman is no longer acceptable, as it begins to carry social and legal baggage. But if the husband and wife separate, the children remain with the mother. During this stage we find the Mother Right and communistic household ways begin to deteriorate. Finally, monogamous marriage appears in the civilized society, where male supremacy consists of its base, a woman's legitimacy of child bearing is the condition, and the degradation of women is the result.
The Monogamous family derived from economics and inheritance. Thus making male supremacy the first essential factor to monogamous marriage for the man. Monogamy had become required because of inheritance, the male was to own his wife, children, slaves and house under his private property. Engels sees this ownership of property as the first clear division of inequality between men and women where the woman becomes inferior to him. women no longer experience the sexual freedom that was once theirs in group marriage. He saw Monogamy as one step forward to a new societal development, but one step back for inequality in terms of creating pleasure for some and misery for the rest.
Engels saw that in order to understand human history it is important to see it from the aspect of class struggle in a particular society. During the nineteenth century the dominating classes at that time were the Bourgeois and the Proletariats. The Bourgeois class of an industrial culture was the ruling class. It owned the production and industries. Through this ownership they were able to create many job opportunities and discover new markets. More trade led to competition which ultimately led to further distances of commerce.
Unfortunately, through this ownership they were also able to abuse the power they possessed. The abuse of power led to the dehumanization of the Proletariat class. They refused their civil rights, economic wealth and government rights to participate in ruling the state. By turning themselves from the producers to the production, they have become the base of the capitalist society. Therefore, the exploitation of the Proletariats created development for the Bourgeois, but misery for the rest.
The two classes were in constant struggle. The proletariats did not own wealth the same way the Bourgeois did. Their wealth was considered to be their children and the number of hours they can work for a wage. The Proletariats wanted their wages to be high as possible, the Bourgeois wanted the opposite to make the most profit. The Proletariats represent the Capitalist's working class and is considered the lower class.
Along the lines of class struggles, he saw the differences within the women, which depended on the social class they were in. The proletariat woman was considered more free than the Bourgeois woman, because of the expectation of her work to be outside the home, whereas the bourgeois woman was not privileged with the same expectation.
Engels considered prostitution to be degrading for both men and women, and also thought that it was a contradiction to monogamy. And yet these two conflicts must arrive together, setting the poles that hold society despite their contradictions. Nevertheless, Engels believes that women will arrive to human equality if the current economic system is demolished, because he thought the more money the man had, the more control over his wife he possessed.
Class struggle intrigued both Marx and Engels, making them a great team of revolutionary theorists. Engels was first interested in the subject of class struggle when he moved to England to work in his father's factory. He was shocked by the place's living conditions. Their radical views allowed them to create Socialism, Marxism, and dialectical materialism. Socialism is an economic system that production is co-operatively owned rather than individually, distributing power and wealth equally. Marxist theory looks into historical context, social changes and critiques of capitalism which he despised. Dialectical materialism is a result of a conflicting social events, these social events represents a series of contradictions with their solutions. A revolution can be an example for dialectical materialism: a result that appeared from conflicting social forces, these social forces represent a series of contradictions.
In a capitalist society, economy and inheritance come into play of the newly formed monogamous marriage. Whereas the hunter-gatherer society did not. The reason for this is because the primitive tribes all worked together, shared the land and work, therefore shared the spouses and children. While everything belonged to everyone, nothing belonged to anyone, so there was no necessary need to know which child belonged to who's father. Since mothers could tell their children apart from the rest, the Mother Right was the dominant factor.
Women were equal to men, as they (like the men) contributed in the household for providing resources. This disappears as we move further into the capitalist society and the more it imposes its ideas, the worst off we are from its demoralizing effects. The civilized woman's social position thus becomes less of the primitive woman, where she is respected, and more importantly, honored. Engels believes it is impossible for two partners to freely chose to be together as long as property and inheritance is considered a factor. If men were to be worried about sex-love only, then monogamy will come naturally rather than forced, which produce its negative effects of immorality and prostitution.
By taking this idea, Engels was able to form a more "moral" philosophical economy that he wanted society to embrace. To him, the original state human beings were (savagery) was what was best for society as a whole. As it did not degrade women, male supremacy barely existed, and the economy was not a problem. This economic approach is what made him believe the solution to putting an end women's new degrading position was to put an end to capitalism.
Engels argued the unfairness in the distribution of power and wealth, and a need for a revolution through his radical writings and opinions. But since Capitalism is economically and morally flawed in his opinion, socialism has not proven to be any better. Communist societies have failed just as much as Capitalist ones. Perhaps a new economic system can be formed in which it does not necessarily need to equally distribute the power as long as the distribution of money and opportunity are equal. Second, I do agree with Engels on that understanding human social development is through the understanding of its class struggle. But differ in emphasizing the need to understand its politics of that time as well, because the politics in that society (on what terms is power distributed) are what shape the class struggle and the inequality of women.
Finally, having monogamous marriage arise from economic causes, is it possible for monogamy to disappear if those causes do? One might think it would be the case, but Engels's opinion on the matter is the contrary, as he sees the means of production transfer to social property, and with that disappears wage-labor, the Proletariats and prostitution. Monogamy though is to be realized fully along with an altered change in both men and women. One may see a possibility in this, but nothing is certain as the possibilities of the next form of social human development are limitless.
Engels claimed the social revolution will demolish all types of inequalities that he saw society suffered from. In one sense he was a liberal Feminist for wanting equal opportunity for both men and women in their role of providing to the household and society. In another sense, he can be considered a radical Feminist for arguing that only a revolution can make these inequalities go away. His main interests in economics, class struggle and philosophy shaped his opinions and questioning of the monogamous family, Capitalism and power distribution in the social class.
Class struggle intrigued both Marx and Engels, making them a great team of revolutionary theorists. Engels was first interested in the subject of class struggle when he moved to England to work in his father's factory. He was shocked by the place's living conditions. Their radical views allowed them to create Socialism, Marxism, and dialectical materialism. Socialism is an economic system that production is co-operatively owned rather than individually, distributing power and wealth equally. Marxist theory looks into historical context, social changes and critiques of capitalism which he despised. Dialectical materialism is a result of a conflicting social events, these social events represents a series of contradictions with their solutions. A revolution can be an example for dialectical materialism: a result that appeared from conflicting social forces, these social forces represent a series of contradictions.
In a capitalist society, economy and inheritance come into play of the newly formed monogamous marriage. Whereas the hunter-gatherer society did not. The reason for this is because the primitive tribes all worked together, shared the land and work, therefore shared the spouses and children. While everything belonged to everyone, nothing belonged to anyone, so there was no necessary need to know which child belonged to who's father. Since mothers could tell their children apart from the rest, the Mother Right was the dominant factor.
Women were equal to men, as they (like the men) contributed in the household for providing resources. This disappears as we move further into the capitalist society and the more it imposes its ideas, the worst off we are from its demoralizing effects. The civilized woman's social position thus becomes less of the primitive woman, where she is respected, and more importantly, honored. Engels believes it is impossible for two partners to freely chose to be together as long as property and inheritance is considered a factor. If men were to be worried about sex-love only, then monogamy will come naturally rather than forced, which produce its negative effects of immorality and prostitution.
By taking this idea, Engels was able to form a more "moral" philosophical economy that he wanted society to embrace. To him, the original state human beings were (savagery) was what was best for society as a whole. As it did not degrade women, male supremacy barely existed, and the economy was not a problem. This economic approach is what made him believe the solution to putting an end women's new degrading position was to put an end to capitalism.
Engels argued the unfairness in the distribution of power and wealth, and a need for a revolution through his radical writings and opinions. But since Capitalism is economically and morally flawed in his opinion, socialism has not proven to be any better. Communist societies have failed just as much as Capitalist ones. Perhaps a new economic system can be formed in which it does not necessarily need to equally distribute the power as long as the distribution of money and opportunity are equal. Second, I do agree with Engels on that understanding human social development is through the understanding of its class struggle. But differ in emphasizing the need to understand its politics of that time as well, because the politics in that society (on what terms is power distributed) are what shape the class struggle and the inequality of women.
Finally, having monogamous marriage arise from economic causes, is it possible for monogamy to disappear if those causes do? One might think it would be the case, but Engels's opinion on the matter is the contrary, as he sees the means of production transfer to social property, and with that disappears wage-labor, the Proletariats and prostitution. Monogamy though is to be realized fully along with an altered change in both men and women. One may see a possibility in this, but nothing is certain as the possibilities of the next form of social human development are limitless.
Engels claimed the social revolution will demolish all types of inequalities that he saw society suffered from. In one sense he was a liberal Feminist for wanting equal opportunity for both men and women in their role of providing to the household and society. In another sense, he can be considered a radical Feminist for arguing that only a revolution can make these inequalities go away. His main interests in economics, class struggle and philosophy shaped his opinions and questioning of the monogamous family, Capitalism and power distribution in the social class.
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