WORK AND KNOWLEDGE: AN ANALYSIS OF DANIEL DEFOE'S WORK ROBINSON CRUSOE FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF MARXIAN-LUKCASIAN ONTOLOGY

Abstract

This article analyzes the work Robinson Crusoe, published in 1719 by Daniel Defoe, to understand a vision of the social being with objectified nature, a concept developed by Lukács based on Marxist writings, to associate the interferences carried out by human beings in nature through work, the founding category of the social being, and social praxis, which determines and is determined dialectically in the constant process of moving away from our natural barriers. Methodologically, this is an exploratory, theoretical, and bibliographical study grounded in Marxian-Lukacian ontology. We use excerpts from the novel Robinson Crusoe and recommend reading the work in its entirety for its enjoyment and literary value. The categories explored are: work, praxis, and knowledge. The results indicate that this perspective seeks to understand the immanence of social beings—their need for change to meet their given and established needs—and the importance of the complex of knowledge in this process of transformation and objectification from the perspective of historical-dialectical materialism. The considerations clarify that work, praxis and knowledge are categories that require in-depth study from a Marxist-Lukacsian perspective and that it is possible to identify them in the aforementioned literary work even within the inferred limits.