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Karl Marx wrote that religion was the opiate of the people. What does that mean?
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
No, he didn't. He's misquoted saying that, "Religion is the opiate of the people."
The actual quotation is, "Religion is the sign of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people."
Anyways, the meaning behind this quotation is the fact that he expresses that religion is an escape for people's emotions and to work towards a specific goal. For example, opium of the people describes a way to escape the harsh realities of our society and human nature. To be happy through an illusion as you could say, back in the time that Karl Marx made this statement, opium was used as a sedative, painkiller, so the definition of this quotation can have many different meanings.
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
Marx meant that religion functions as a tool for keeping the oppressed masses passive and content with their circumstances by offering a form of comfort and distraction. Just as opium can dull physical pain, religion can numb the psychological pain of exploitation and inequality, thus preventing people from seeking genuine solutions to their suffering.
Wiki User
∙ 11y agoApparently he considered religion to be something harmful.
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How do you use opiate in a sentence?
The most famous sentence using this word is from Karl Marx who said "Religion is the opiate of the people."
Where can the phrase religion is the opium of the people be found?
Karl Marx wrote it in the introduction to his book "Contribution to Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right" from 1843. It also often translated from the German it was written in as "Religion is the opiate of the masses".
Who said religion is the opiate of the masses?
The quote 'religion is the opiate of the masses' is attributed to Karl Marx, who wrote 'Die Religion ... ist das Opium des Volkes' in his unpublished work A Contribution to the Critique of Hegel's Philosophy, the introduction of which was published in Marx's journal Deutsch-Französische Jahrbücher. The full quote is 'Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people.'
Who said tea is the opiate of the masses?
Karl Marx said that "religion is the opiate of the masses." I don't think that was ever said about tea.ANSWER: A capitalist no doubt.
Religion is the opium of society?
Actually, the phrase is "religion is the opiate of the masses", a popular Karl Marx observation. This could be taken as truth to those who are particularly cynical about religion, faith, and the power these facets hold over most human societies. Many people see religion as a drug or sorts because of the way it captures people and in many cases changes their behavior. For example, if a person is a criminal and ends up in prison, they may have a religious experience and upon release may be "a different person" because their values and mores have changed drastically.
How can a religion be an opium of the people?
As opium is drug which leaves the mind in a state of false images or false realities. So do some religions confuse those who partake in its doctrine. There are confused as to what is truth. Confusion is not of God for His house is a house of order. religion become opium to the people because they have different views of what they believe and knows .
Which sociologist wrote that religions often drug the masses into submission by offering a consolation for their harsh lives on earth and the hope of salvation in an ideal afterlife?
Karl Marx, a renowned sociologist and philosopher, proposed this perspective on religion in his critique of capitalist society. Marx argued that religion can serve as an opiate that pacifies the working class by diverting attention away from their current suffering and offering promises of rewards in the afterlife.
What did Karl Marx call religion?
"The opium of the people".
Is Marxism a religion?
No. Marxism is best described a political belief and definitely not a religious one. Karl Marx was decidedly against organized religions, which he called the opiate of the the masses.
Explain Buddhism is the opium of people?
The actual expression is "Religion is the opiate of the masses" with no mention of any specific group. The saying is is one of the most frequently quoted statements of Karl Marx. The implication is that any religion, if it is used as an escape or an excuse to not deal with what you need to deal with, it is as if you were sleeping or on drugs. Or that religion is used by governments to keep the population quiescent.
Karl Marx suggested that religion... A. Impedes social change. B. Serves as an opiate C. Plays an important role in propping up the existing social order D. All of the above?
D. All of the above. Karl Marx believed that religion serves to impede social change, acts as an opiate to comfort the oppressed, and plays a role in maintaining the existing social order by legitimizing inequality.
Was Karl Marx an atheist?
He described religion as the opium of the people, an illusion designed to make them accept the status quo.
