Who Coined The Term Reification?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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In Marxist theory, reification is linked to people’s alienation from work and their treatment as objects of manipulation rather than as human beings, and was popularized by

György Lukács

, but the term is given a variety of meanings by different schools of Marxist thought.

Who came up with reification?


Lukács’s

theory of reification, explained in his 1923 work, History and Class Consciousness, is often interpreted as a theory of ideology, but it is also a theory of social practice and a work of social ontology.

What is reification according to Karl Marx?

In Marxism, reification (German: Verdinglichung, lit. transl. “making into a thing”) is

the process by which social relations are perceived as inherent attributes of the people involved in them, or attributes of some product of the relation, such as a traded commodity

.

Which Marxist thinker is known for reification?


Georg (György) Lukács

(1885–1971) was a literary theorist and philosopher who is widely viewed as one of the founders of “Western Marxism”. Lukács is best known for his pre-World War II writings in literary theory, aesthetic theory and Marxist philosophy.

What is the concept of reification?

Reification is when

you think of or treat something abstract as a physical thing

. Reification is a complex idea for when you treat something immaterial — like happiness, fear, or evil — as a material thing.

Why is reification bad?

A relative newcomer to the world of logical fallacies, reification is

difficult to place and its status as a fallacy not that well understood

. In general, reification involves taking something that is abstract, like an idea or concept, and making it concrete, or assigning it a concrete, ‘real’ existence.

What’s wrong with reification?

Reification (also known as concretism, or the fallacy of misplaced concreteness) is a

fallacy of ambiguity

, when an abstraction (abstract belief or hypothetical construct) is treated as if it were a concrete, real event, or physical entity.

What is another word for reification?


hypostatization


objectification

pathetic fallacy


thingification

What is Marxist?

Marxism is a method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand class relations and social conflict as well as a dialectical perspective to view social transformation.

What is an example of reification in sociology?

Reification is the process of attributing concrete form to an abstract concept. … However, reification is often considered a sign that someone is thinking illogically. For example, if

you think of justice as something physical

, you’re confusing ideas and things, which can lead to problems.

What language did Lukacs write in?

Lukács (13 April 1885 – 4 June 1971) was a

Hungarian

Marxist philosopher and literary critic.

What do you mean by Western Marxism?

Western Marxism is

a current of Marxist theory that arose from Western and Central Europe in the aftermath of the 1917 October Revolution in Russia

and the ascent of Leninism.

Which definition of reification is most accurate?

A religious Belief, a Law, and a custom are all social facts. Which Definition of reification is most accurate?

Treating an abstract concept as if it was real

.

What does reification mean in sociology?

ABSTRACT: The concept of reification is used by Marx to

describe a form of social consciousness in which human relations come to be identified with the physical properties of things, thereby acquiring an appearance of naturalness and inevitability

. … Sociology has been aptly described as a graveyard of critical concepts.

What does reification mean in psychology?

n.

treating an abstraction, concept, or formulation as though it were a real object or material thing

.

Amira Khan
Author
Amira Khan
Amira Khan is a philosopher and scholar of religion with a Ph.D. in philosophy and theology. Amira's expertise includes the history of philosophy and religion, ethics, and the philosophy of science. She is passionate about helping readers navigate complex philosophical and religious concepts in a clear and accessible way.