The world we live in has had the tendency to reject most changes in economic system. The people in power reject other ideas the same way politicians reject movements that wish to change the voting system. This tendency is explained by something completely logical, self-preservation. If the system in place gave them such wealth, why change it? People such as Karl Marx saw the flaws in our system he wished to change it in order to make our cultural world more equal. One of his primary findings of culture was what he called overdetermination; the fact that every item in our world influences and is influenced by every other. In this essay we will look at how overdetermination could have influenced the life of Karl Marx and then we will see how it could apply to our current society. 

Karl Marx lived in Germany in most his life and grew up in a upper-middle class family. His father Heinrich was non-religious and deeply interested in philosophers such as Immanuel Kant and Voltaire. He was a classical liberal and took part in the democratisation of Prussia. These qualities were inherited by Marx that chose the same job as his father, an attorney. Most of his education that was done before high school was produced by his father even though he was the third of nine children. His father also made him change universities when his grades were suffering from his immature actions. After his father’s death, Marx continued to carry a photograph of him everywhere he went and is even thought to have been buried with his picture. These aspects of childhood show how obvious Marx’s life was influenced by his father, like many of us usually are. His early exposure to philosophy and politics obviously put him in the proper environment for the development of his own philosophy.  

In our current civilisation, there are also many instances where overdetermination clearly influences our views of the world. Take the example of urban children of the working class. These children live in a dangerous environment and often times have distant parents that are too busy supporting their family to actually take care of their children. This rough environment is also more prone to creating crime and drug users, which also causes children to feel like they are in danger more often than not. This kind of environment makes dropping out of school and turning to crime which, in turn, will help perpetuate the horrible environment they grew up in. The same situation can be inversed where upper class children in great situations will be prone to perpetuate that kind of life style.  

Nevertheless, even though overdetermination may seem like a never ending-cycle it is still possible to change our situation depending on individual skills and environment. Overdetermination is simply a fact that everything you touch can also touch you.