"False Consciousness," the Phrase

"False consciousness" is a phrase that saw the written light of day in an 1893 letter from Friedrich Engels to Franz Mehring. Engels wrote:

Ideology is a process accomplished by the so-called thinker consciously, it is true, but with a false consciousness. The real motive forces impelling him remain unknown to him...

In it, Engels espoused historical materialism, the notion that ideas and ideologies are a distraction from people realizing their true – ie. economic – motives. In other words, ideologies are not really real, and what really matters is what is 'really real', ie. what is material – people's access to the physical basic needs: food, shelter, and clothing.

I both agree and disagree. I do agree that ideas and ideologies frequently distract people from their basic economic interests. There are still a billion people living in absolute poverty. Many in the richer parts of the world are also living in insecure circumstances. It is no small thing that ideas and ideologies can continue to see them materially deprived. However, since it is a fact that those ideas and ideologies have that influence, it means that they are 'real', and that they therefore need to be understood.

I also think that while people can change their minds - I do so frequently - there is nevertheless such structure in the global distribution and content of ideas and ideologies that one should not consider them ephemeral. It is also the case that ideas and ideologies are the only things that can solve the problems of the distribution of basic needs, security, and freedoms.

Mostly, I just find the term 'false consciousness' enjoyable and provocative. That is why I am happily adopting it as the title of this blog. The purpose of the blog is to explore the structures in the ideas and ideologies, how they influence local and global events, and are themselves influenced.