Hi hello I have a question regarding Marx’s “opium of the masses” quote (hexbear.net)

submitted 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) by worldonaturtle@hexbear.net to c/chapotraphouse@hexbear.net

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People on the internet are saying it’s not a condemnation of religion and to Marx opium means medicine, Im confused help me bear website!

Edit: what did Karl Marx think opium was?

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[-] Alaskaball@hexbear.net 6 points 8 months ago

For modern interpretations one can read "opium" as "morphine".

Whenever you are reading any literature you have to be concious of the historical period the writer, at the time they were writing the book you're reading, lived in.

An example of this, using Stalin as an example, is looking at how different the world was in 1901 when Stalin wrote The Russian Social-Democratic Party and its Immediate Tasks and 1952 when Stalin wrote Economic Problems of Socialism in the USSR.

This means working to understand what they are saying within the historical context of when they lived and not applying your own modern perceptions onto their works - at least not initially in my opinion.