Material things matter to praxis only as social relations embedded in production

Evidence

In reality the philosophy of praxis does not study a machine in order to know about and to establish the atomic structure of its materials or the physical, chemical and mechanical properties of its natural components (which is the business of the exact sciences and of technology) but only in so far as it is a moment of the material forces of production, is an object of property of particular social forces, and expresses a social relation which in turn corresponds to a particular historical period. — Antonio Gramsci, Selections from the Prison Notebooks, 1648

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines how the philosophy of praxis treats machines/products — as expressions of social relations, not as natural objects.
• XREF: Connects to the reading goal: how Marxist-derived critique reads objects (commodities, media) as social relations — groundwork for how Islamophobia critique treats the ‘Muslim’ image as a social construction rather than a natural category. — connects to: Matter matters only as socially organized for production — Antonio Gramsci, Selections from the Prison Notebooks, 1647; Material forces of production determine the superstructure and drive social revolutions; Cultural and political power relations operate outside the social relations of production (+9 more)

Broader Connections

• Matter matters only as socially organized for production #corroborates (0.93) — Antonio Gramsci, Selections from the Prison Notebooks, 1647
• Objects are studied as social relations, not physical things #expands (0.90)
• Commodity fetishism presents social labour relations as properties of things #exemplifies (0.85) — Dirk Braunstein, Adorno’s Critique of Political Economy, 410
• Material and social reproduction occur simultaneously and inseparably #expands (0.83)
• Material forces of production determine the superstructure and drive social revolutions #qualifies (0.80)
• Ideologies are material relations enacted through institutions and practices #corroborates (0.80) — Hall, Stuart, Essential Essays, Volume 1, 628
• Social relations are constituted through mediating processes #expands (0.80) — Nick Couldry & Ulises A. Mejias, The Costs of Connection, 667
• Material forces are social creations, not discoveries of preexisting nature #corroborates (0.78) — Antonio Gramsci, Selections from the Prison Notebooks, 1648
• Capitalist production relations are reproduced socially and ideologically, not just economically #expands (0.78)
• Cultural and political power relations operate outside the social relations of production #contradicts (0.75)
• Ideology’s imaginary relation functions to reproduce capitalist production relations #expands (0.73) — Hall, Stuart, Essential Essays, Volume 1, 195
• Abstracting value from life processes enables new commodified social relations #expands (0.72)