Abstract

Yvon Quiniou, For a Rethinking of the Concept of Alienation. Because of its ambiguities, the concept of alienation needs to be rethought. Whether in its examination of the various aspects of work or in its consideration of the relation of humanity to its history, the notion can and must be called into question. However, when the aim is the examination of the development of humans inside class-structured societies which prevent them from achieving their potentialities, the pertinence of the concept is evident. Alienation here proves to be a category that is both scientific and normative, providing the critique of capitalism and the ideal of emancipation with their necessary anthropological foundation.