Marxism and Morality

As is clear in the German Ideology, for Marx-Engels, Socialism is not an End in itself, but a Means to the elimination of Exploitation facilitated by Private Property, i. e. by private ownership of the Means of Production.  Now, it is easy to conceive Exploitation as a violation of Kant's principle that one should not treat another as a mere Means.  Hence, Marxist Socialism is, despite its other innovations, in that respect, merely an extension of Kantian Morality.  On the other hand, Marx' precept 'From each according to one's ability' does entail something new.  For, it conceives a Person as inherently part of a Collective, rather than as an entity that is essentially isolated from others, entering into relations with them only extrinsically.  The latter Atomist concept of a Person is implicit whenever relations with others are conceived as external encounters, even I-Thou, which is the case of the entire Moral tradition beginning with Aristotle.  In contrast, Marx' precept signals a transition from that tradition to Collectivist Morality, not necessarily restricted to Socialism, but plainly occasioned by it.