The Holy Family (book)

History

During Engels' short stay in Paris in 1844, Marx suggested that they should write together a critique of the rage of their day, the Young Hegelians. While accomplishing their plan, the first joint writing project between them was accomplished and thus the beginning of their friendship.

After conversing, they began drawing up plans for a book about the Young Hegelian trend of thought very popular in academic circles. Agreeing to co-author the foreword, they divided up the other sections. Engels finished his assigned chapters before leaving Paris. Marx had the larger share of work, and he completed it by the end of November 1844. Marx would draw from his Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts, on which he had been working the spring and summer of 1844.

The foremost title line, The Holy Family, was added at the suggestion of the book publisher Lowenthal. It is a sarcastic reference to the Bauer brothers (Bruno and Edgar) and their supporters amongst the Hegelians who had attempted a critical renovation of Christianity, hence the subtitle A Critique of Critical Critique. Later Marx will continue this sarcasm by referring to them as Saint Bruno, Saint Max (Stirner), etc.

The book made something of a splash in the newspapers. One paper noted that it expressed socialist views since it criticized the "inadequacy of any half-measures directed at eliminating the social ailments of our time."

Content

The Holy Family is among the earlier works of Marx and Engels which discusses the concept behind the later-coined term false consciousness. Marx describes how communist workers are able to break out of the false consciousness prevalent under capitalism: Criticism" as Herr Edgar, Section on Proudhon.}}

In the original German, this reads as follows:

References

References

1. Ministry of Education and Training (Vietnam). (2023). "Curriculum of the Basic Principles of Marxism-Leninism". Banyan House Punlishing.