History and Human Agency: Examining the Role of the Past on the Present - Essay Sample

Introduction

History plays a significant role in understanding the constitution of human beings. Historical events have over time changed the notion of human agency. It has also allowed human beings to learn from their history. It has allowed a man to have a better understanding of himself in the present by understanding the circumstances and choices of the forces that have been him to his current situation. Various philosophers have had different concepts on the role of history on how their past has influenced human beings. This paper will review how Marx, Nietzsche, and Foucault conceptualized the part of history that has affected human beings.

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Marx was a German ideologist who developed a theory to show how history has influenced human beings. He called it the historical materialism (Harootunian, 2015). The argument is based on the Hegel's claim that history occurs through a clash or a debate of opposing forces. Marx idea of history is based on the varying means of production (Harootunian, 2015). It depends on things such as natural resources, land, and technology (Harootunian, 2015). These things are essential in the production of goods and provide a way through which people can socialize and build social relationships. When all these things are brought together, they form what he referred to as the mode of production. In his observations, Marx noted that production means changes within any given society. In Europe for instance, communities had changed from the traditional means of production to the capitalist mode of production (Harootunian, 2015). Through history, Marx argued that human beings could come up with better technology to help improve their production and hence reduce the crisis of labor prices (Harootunian, 2015). Marx believed that socialism was historically inevitable. It would be brought about by the needs of human beings to create improved social relations. Marx also thought that growth was cyclic. There will be growth collapse and growth, which will be disrupted by the growing crisis (Harootunian, 2015).

Nietzsche was a philosopher who also had his concept on the role of history in understanding the constitution of human beings. He was dedicated to showing that social practices and ideas are based on their account. Nietzsche mainly focused on what is right and evil in the constitution of human beings (Plunkett, 2016). He argued that good is historically untenable. The origin of a person's behavior is dependent on the usefulness of the esteem in which it is held. This origin should be forgotten. But there is a question of how easy it is for people to remember about their past. There is a case where the usefulness is a part of our humans' everyday experience, which is not easy to forget. It has led to a situation where instead of being forgotten, the lessons are impressed on human's consciousness with better clarity. In his work, Nietzsche criticizes the morality of human beings who instilled distinctive norms on the well being of other people, which he called higher men (Plunkett, 2016). He does not criticize all forms of morality. Nietzsche offers an evaluation of the existing moral standards and how they influence people. He believed that all normative systems share structural characteristics if they are involved in the morality of a society. He also says that the prescriptive policies vary with time but do not change how the community describes what is right and what is wrong. He criticizes the human norms that favor the interest of some people at the expense of others (Plunkett, 2016). He encourages transparency to ensure no human oppresses the other as all people are equal. He also supports the norms that destroy the highest men while benefitting the lowest.

Foucault is also a philosopher who had his concept on the role of history on human being's constitution. Foucault developed a new way of thinking about history. He also developed new ways of writing and deploying account that would assist human beings progress in their political struggles. Foucault was more concerned with the concept of power during his time (Lemke, 2015). He developed ways to conceptualize and mobilize people to evolve and develop. He moved from the confinement of unreason to advocating for self-governing. He also talked about modern sexuality and disciplinary prison and finally about modern ways of regulating the economy and population. His perception of power moves to the concept of productive power from the dividing practices or exclusion forms of control (Lemke, 2015). Foucault also tried to fix his theories to ensure that they were in line with what human beings constitute. He also emphasized the need for discipline and punishment. Foucault used history as a way of engaging with the present. He explained that his concept on the history of the present mainly dealt with conventional history. He encouraged that those who did wrong be penalized through various forms of punishment. His work played a role in the constitution of human beings as his genealogical methods involved the research of a previous problem. It helped in the solving of the current issues similar to the last question.

Conclusion

Marx, Nietzsche, and Foucault concepts on the role of history on understanding the constitution of human beings played a significant role in helping to build a humane and moral society. While Marx mainly focused on socialism and how people should relate to each other, Nietzsche dealt with the moral aspect of human beings. He explained what human nature should refer to as good and evil. Foucault dealt with the power and the political struggles of human beings.

References

Harootunian, H. (2015). Marx After Marx: History and time in the expansion of capitalism. Columbia University Press. Retrieved from https://books.google.co.ke/books?hl=en&lr=&id=fFe1CgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=marx+concept+of+history&ots=dCJ8XgD7fx&sig=xeCddVRrkyTcRN35G4fLF8LugEE&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=marx%20concept%20of%20history&f=false

Plunkett, D. (2016). Conceptual history, conceptual ethics, and the aims of inquiry: A framework for thinking about the relevance of the history/genealogy of concepts to the normative query. Ergo, an Open Access Journal of Philosophy, 3.

Lemke, T. (2015). New materialisms: Foucault and the 'government of things.' Theory, Culture & Society, 32(4), 3-25.