Karl Marx's infamous statement that "I am not a Marxist" holds a profound truth deeply connected to his philosophy. It might be understood that he despised the hundreds of interpretations of his work after their publication. However, the statement resonates with a more important idea "that a person cannot 'follow' a philosophy at all. Or perhaps even that there is no such thing as philosophy, at least not in the way men normally understand the term. Because when philosophy is understood to be independent of the philosopher, or the reader, or any condition of the material world in which they live, it has fallen into the rubbish heap of idealism. Marx insists that "life is not determined by consciousness , but consciousness from life". ...When reality is represented, philosophy as an independent branch of knowledge loses its means of existence.' (155) When you treat "Marxism" as an idea separate from one's consciousness of the material world, you have elevated it into the murky realm of ideology, which contains the same chains of oppression that Marx attempts to combat in the most extreme example, since Marx's philosophy is entirely materialist. For Marx, every other ideology, philosophy or religion is intrinsically idealistic both by their ideological nature and by what they preach" that there is a separate truth. from the material world and that ideas can be the engine of history. For Marx, however, if we ask ourselves how philosophy or religion transform history or politics, we ask the question in reverse. Marx illustrates that no ideology moves history but all are created by history, or more specifically, by the current state and relationship to the productive forces in society. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Marx's attack on ideology is not just about whether specific philosophies/religions are right or wrong (although that is part of the battle) The problem is first and foremost the approach that men have towards ideology. The concept that ideologies can transform history neglects the origins from which ideology arises: history. He states that "the production of ideas, of conceptions, of consciousness, is first directly intertwined with material activity and with the material relationships of men, the language of real life". Ideas are not ghosts that men diligently try to capture through logic or any other means. They arise from the material world, including the physical environment and the relationships that humans have with each other and the productive forces of their society. Marx's statements contradict an objective (i.e. timeless) reality, or an objective truth towards which ideologies tend. «Morality, religion, metaphysics, all the rest of ideology and the corresponding forms of consciousness no longer retain the appearance of independence. They have no history, they have no development; but men, by developing their material production and their material relationships, thereby alter their real existence, their thinking and the products of their thinking." (154) This concept, that ideas have no history, is emblematic of philosophy of Marx: if history is nothing more than the succession of productive forces passed down through generations, there is no room for ideology to "transform" history, it does not mean that ideas do not exist", indeed, they do ideas that change and alter productive forces from one generation to the next. It's just that every idea is based only on the current state of those forces and cannot be found elsewhere, therefore, for Marx philosophy is based on its ability to.