ABSTRACT
One of the central concepts in Marxism is that the economic relations that obtain in a society shape, but do not determine, the dominant institutions found in that society. And these institutions, such as the church, the education system, the arts, the legal system, shape the consciousness of individuals who live in that society. Materialist philosophy is a response to idealist philosophy, which stresses the importance of ideas. Adrian Forty talks about the role of illusion in his book, Objects of Desire: Design and Society from Wedgwood to IBM. Forty's book is a study of material culture and of the role capitalism has played in shaping the design of household objects, furniture, machines, and many other things. Marxists in America and Western Europe argue that they are as happy as conservatives to see the totalitarian governments of Russia and Eastern Europe give way to democratic governments.
