ENGL 200 D: Reading Literature: Literature in the Marketplace

“The second point is that the satisfaction of the first need (the action of satisfying, and the instrument of satisfaction which has been acquired) leads to new needs; and this production of new needs is the first historical act.”

In this sentence, Marx is talking about the acts that are shared by all mankind. The first is procreation with the second being the sentence above. With this statement, Marx is saying that once the first need is satisfied, other needs arise. This idea describes the first moment in which other needs are born, but it implies that this is not the only time this cycle takes place. By this I mean that Marx addresses the human nature of never being satisfied. The satisfaction that one act brings us is never enough, so we create new goals and needs to pursue.

This directly deals with the trait of greed. With this statement, Marx is saying that the act of wanting more than you currently have is a natural part of being human. In fact, it is one of the things that helps separate humans from animals, which is extremely important to Marx. It also is clear that someone like Adam Smith would agree with Marx on this point.

A key point of the German Ideology is that what we are surrounded by helps define what is “normal” and that we all strive to be in that group. By highlighting the fact that the continuing cycle of trying to satisfy new needs is a key human trait, Marx is saying that striving for more, and greed, is a major part of normal human life.