"In general, we usually say that the era of the great philosophical systems ended with Hegel. After him, philosophy took a new direction. Instead of great speculative systems, we had what we call an exsitential philosophy or a philosophy of action. This was what Marx meant when he observed that until now, 'philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways; the point is to change it.' These words mark a significant turning point in the history of philosophy."

"Hegel had pointed out that historical development is driven by the tension between opposites-which is then resolved by a sudden change. Marx developed this idea further. But according to Marx, Hegel was standing on his head."

"Hegel called the force that drives history forward world spirit or world reason. This, Marx claimed, is upside down. He wished to shaw that material changes are the ones that affect history. 'Spiritual relations' do not create material changes, it is the other way about. Material change creates new spiritual relations. Marx particularly emphasized that it was the economic forces in society that created change and thus drove history forward."

"In the same manner we will indentify three levels in the bases of society. The most basic level is what we may call society'sconditions of production.In other words, the natural conditions or resources that are available to society. These are the foundation of any society, and this foundation clearly determines the type of production in the society, and by the same token, the nature of that society and its culture in general."

"And the way people think in a nomadic culture is very different from the way they think in a fishing village in northern Norway. The next level is the society'smeans of production.By this Marx meant the various kinds of equipment, tools, and machinery, as well as the raw materials to be found there."

"So far we can conclude that it is the mode of production in a society which determines which political and ideological conditions are to be found there. It is not by chance that today we think somewhat differently - and have a somewhat different moral codex - from the old feudal society."

"How we work affects our consciousness, but our consciousness also affects the way we work. You could say it is an interactive relationship between hand and consciousness.

"Under the capitalist system, the worker labors for someone else. His labor is thus something external to him - or something that does not belong to him. The worker becomes alien to his work - but at the same time also alien to himself. He loses touch with his own reality. Marx says, with a Hegelian expression, that the worker becomes alienated."

"...the worker in fact slaves for another social class"

"Today, economists can establish that Marx was mistaken on a number of vital issues, not least his analysis of the crises of capitalism. And he paid insufficient attention to the plundering of the natural environment - the serious consequences of which we are experiencing today. Nevertheless..."

"Social Democracy and Leninism"