false consciousness

American  

noun

1. a Marxist theory that people are unable to see things, especially exploitation, oppression, and social relations, as they really are; the hypothesized inability of the human mind to develop a sophisticated awareness of how it is developed and shaped by circumstances.

2. any belief or view that prevents a person from being able to understand the true nature of a situation.

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Etymology

Origin of false consciousness

First recorded in 1855–60

Example Sentences

It seems like it marries kind of a false consciousness with complete exploitation.

From Scientific American • Sep. 21, 2023

Never a political band, it nonetheless articulated a powerful protest — against sentimentality, stupidity, false consciousness and positive thinking — that would sow the seeds of punk rock and later rebellions.

From New York Times • Oct. 14, 2021

She stops short of an accusation of false consciousness, but hints at it enough.

From The New Yorker • Nov. 1, 2019

But black people “are not victims of false consciousness or some ‘plantation mentality.’

From Slate • Aug. 30, 2016

And the intention depends on the state both of the will and of the understanding as to the circumstances—consciousness, unconsciousness, or false consciousness regarding them.

From The World's Greatest Books — Volume 14 — Philosophy and Economics by Hammerton, John Alexander, Sir