apitalism, it is helpful to approach human history the way Marx doesùas essentially an economic history that hinges upon basic material premises. According to Marx, human reactions to the various "material conditions of life"ùostensibly variations of economic existenceùhave historically also been varied (Marx 161-2). As technological beings, humans have become what they are "by means of the work that they cannot avoid doing if they are to satisfy their needs" (Berlin 116). This idea is crucial, as it enforces the notion that human consciousness develops contingent upon a pattern of social organizationùhuman beings are largely what they are due to their ability, willingness, and obligation to organize into a physical group. The "first historical act," according to Marx, is "the production of the means to satisfyàneeds (Marx 165)."
Marx's materialist theory therefore anticipates and accounts for the division of labor; as human beings organize and develop the means of production, they specialize. Eventually, as humankind develops systems for satisfying its needs, new needs are created; industrial stages are to be expected to meet these expanding needs (Marx 166). As Isaiah Berlin explains, ultimately Marx's theory of materialist history cannot but inform his other ideas about human society; for Marx, his "philosophy of history is the source of all his philosophical beliefs (120)."
A further point emphasizes the correlation between social inequality and broader human history; because human beings are guided by their urgent needs, wherever these needs unify a body of persons into a group, a class is born. Classes will emerge wherever material needs and technological inventions create a variable environment. This happens everywhere. Humankind, governed by needs, responds by forming societies (for efficiency), building associations, and innovating technologies, which in turn creates new needs. Classes inevitably develop a...