Soviet Philosophy: Interpretation of the Alienation of Labour

Abstract

This paper analyses the essence and various interpretations of the alienation of labour in Soviet philosophy. The author considers this phenomenon to be a relevant research problem due to the persistent nature of social contradictions and due to the economic, political and anthropological factors that transformed alienation in the early 21st century. Additionally, this article is important from the historical and philosophical perspective, since the alienation of labour occupied a special place in Soviet philosophical thought, although a number of innovative ideas from that period have been undeservedly forgotten. The author points out the theoretical sources of Soviet approaches to the study of the alienation of labour rooted in the materialistic understanding of labour by classical Marxism. It is important to note that in the Soviet philosophical tradition, the analysis was conducted through the lens of a specific interpretation of Marxist theory. Taking this aspect into account allows us to fully understand the specifics of the analysis of labour alienation in Soviet philosophy as well as to identify its key stages and directions. A substantive examination of the issue showed that, during its existence, Soviet philosophy had gone a long way in interpreting the alienation of labour, from philosophical timelessness to extreme interest in the topic. In general, the Soviet approach to the phenomenon is characterized by a certain unity and, at the same time, a number of discrepancies, depending on the stage. According to the author, this unity is based on the established interpretation of classical Marxism, while the discrepancies result from certain objective factors that affected, among other things, the freedom of discussion and from the changes that occurred with the philosophical thought itself.