Karl Marx and Emile Durkheim: Diametrically Opposed
Concepts of Social Solidarity
Karl Marx and Emile Durkheim are brilliant scholars that lay the foundation of their unique
philosophical work in the field of sociology. While there are some beliefs that both theorists
relate to one another, social solidarity is one concept they have drastic opinions on. Durkheim
views the source of social solidarity comes from the reinforcement of social structure and
division of labor whilst Marx has a radically different perspective and argues abolishing our
capitalist society alongside the private property is key to bringing social solidarity to all citizens.
It is important to be aware of these differences to understand how these two theorists shaped
modern society.
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To first comprehend the different beliefs between Marx and Durkheim about social solidarity in
modern society, it is crucial to first break down the core definition of this concept. According to
Professor Simmon's lecture notes, Durkheim expresses how “social solidarity focuses on
communities socializing and bonding with one another based on the unit’s severity and whether
it is organic or mechanical”. Yet, Durkheim’s philosophy illuminates how organic solidarity
heavily impacts modern society since every individual follows their own unique pathway, in life
and work experiences, but relies on each other through the division of labor. To illustrate, a
doctor and a baker have two completely different professions and beliefs yet the baker visits the
clinic and relies on their expertise to check on his or her health. Essentially, Durkheim informs
how organic solidarity brings forth less collective consciousness, which is shared beliefs
amongst a group since each individual has their own unique beliefs, values, and experiences in
their job profession and their personal life in modern society. An example of organic solidarity is
through the enforcement of restitutive laws, where all citizens share equal rights yet they live
completely different lives so they are not heavily impacted since it is not affecting their personal
lives. To illustrate, Sigmon highlights how Durkheim’s organic solidarity in modern society
involves, “... a weak common morality, most people do not react emotionally to a breach of the
law. Instead of being severely punished for every offense against the collective morality,
offenders in an organic society are likely to be asked to make restitution to those who have
been harmed by their actions”. Since modern society incorporates division of labor, people are
so busy working in specific job fields that they do not have time to be emotionally invested in
criminal actions if it does not involve in them. Therefore, Durkheim expresses how it is the
productivity and efficiency of the division of labor that maintains modern society on a daily basis.
Meanwhile, Marx has an entirely radical and negative view of how modern society functions.
Unlike Durkheim’s bright outlook of society and the division of labor, Marx presents a negative
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perspective of this concept in modern culture. First, Marx focuses on historical materialism
where the theorist illuminates an unequal capitalist hierarchy that promotes one ruling class
dominating and controlling another class. More specifically, the ruling class called the
bourgeoisie control the means of production, such as excessive amounts of land, factories, and
money, and use these resources to manipulate their control in modern society through
exploiting laborers in unreasonable working conditions to increase their own profit. Author
Robert Tucker of the novel The Marx- Engels Reader describes how, “the bourgeoisie has at
last, since the establishment of Modern Industry… conquered for itself, in the modern
representative State, exclusive political sway. The executive of the modern State is but a
committee for managing the common affairs of the whole bourgeoisie”. Unlike Durkheim’s view
of organic solidarity where people are happy with the diversity of job occupations in modern
society and feel a sense of unity under an equal system, Marx expresses how the ruling class
created an unethical and biased social system aiming to benefit the wealthy instead of all social
classes. This is why Durkheim’s social solidarity cannot exist currently in Marx’s world since
our capitalist society prioritizes the bourgeoisie’s capital, which is money invested to purchase
cheap resources and labor to increase more profit, by exploiting the vulnerable labor force. On
the other hand, the working class called the proletariat are limited in work opportunities due to
their low social rank and therefore have no choice but to work in unsanitary and dangerous work
conditions for long hours and little pay as a form of survival. While Durkheim argues the social
system was built to equally support one another through the division of labor, Marx conveys our
capitalist society was built to favor and feed the egotistical bourgeoisie power through the
general law of capitalist accumulation, increasing capital to possess it, while the other class, the
diligent and kind proletariat, have no choice but to work in these unethical conditions to
financially support their family. As a result, Marx views Durkheim’s social solidarity cannot exist
unless the capitalist society and private property are overthrown, where every citizen can
achieve true equality in equal resources and distributed power and not feel alienated anymore.
This leads to the second difference between Marx and Durkheim’s philosophies, where one
theorist seeks to destroy the social structure of modern society to bring forth unity amongst the
people while another theorist wishes to preserve this system to maintain the peaceful bond
between citizens through the promotion of the division of labor.
Durkheim would disagree with Marx’s view of overthrowing modern society for multiple factors.
First, Marx highlights how our capitalist society and division of labor itself limits people from
achieving high-paying work fields, thus segregating them into lifeless work conditions where
they serve only to bring forth capitalist profit and authority. Durkheim would disagree with
Marx’s outlook since he expresses how it is these unique job occupations within the division of
labor that establish a functioning social order that supports one another, expressing how
modern societies possess, “... a collective consciousness, albeit in a weaker form that allows
for more individual differences”. Through analyzing this text, Durkheim views this division of
labor in modern society, such as differences in job professions and social classes, as necessary
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to maintain and hold order within the social system and promote social solidarity. Marx
interprets this concept as negative in modern society since the ruling class dominates and
manipulates the system for themselves and leaves the inferior class vulnerable to be exploited
and helpless, thus establishing a barrier between social classes where there is no equality or
support between the two groups.
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Another contrast between these two theorists is how Marx expresses how exploitation itself
causes laborers to experience a wave of alienation where they lose a sense of their identity
within the work field, the colleagues they interact with, and their own individual desires. To
emphasize, author Tucker expresses how the laborer, “in his work, therefore, he does not affirm
himself but denies himself, does not feel content but unhappy, does not develop freely in his
physical and mental energy but mortifies his body and ruins his mind. The worker therefore only
feels himself outside his work, and in his work feels outside himself ... His labor is therefore not
voluntary, but coerced; it is forced labor”. Tucker’s quote about alienation highlights how the
bourgeoisie will complain the working class has a choice to work in these fields when they do
not since they never had options to choose their line of work from the beginning. If the
proletariat possessed the ruling class's financial connections, they would not remain imprisoned
and forced into gruesome labor in unethical fields to provide basic human necessities every day.
This turns into a constant cycle of exploitation, where the bourgeoisie will continue taking
advantage of poor people to boost their own business profit until social conflict arises where the
proletariat is fed up with this abuse and revolt to create a classless society where everyone is
equal and united. On the other hand, Emile Durkheim of the novel The Division of Labor In
Society expresses how modern society is affected by restitutive laws aiming to, “express a
positive contribution, a cooperation deriving essentially from the division of labor”. While
Durkheim never focuses on Marx’s issue of alienation within the workforce, he does emphasize
how every citizen lives in an equal society where their unique job profession and division of
labor positively impact each other. Instead of Marx’s fierce beliefs that overthrowing capitalist
society alongside private property will bring forth unity amongst the people and establish
Durkheim’s vision of social solidarity, Durkheim illuminates it is the division of labor itself that
brings forth unity amongst the people of society and social solidarity to prosper.
Marx and Durkheim are incredible philosophers that shaped the concept of how we perceive
modern society and overall sociology. While both theorists have their own drastic beliefs of how
to attain social solidarity, it is undeniable that they have influenced modern mindsets and
shaped how citizens interact with the world every day. Whether one agrees with Marx’s
negative outlook of the division of labor or Durkheim’s positive perspective of social classes in
the same field, it is important to educate ourselves about these theories to take action and push
for equality for workers of all backgrounds if they experience discrimination in today’s society.
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