Marx's theory of human nature

Marxists often repeat Karl Marx's theory of human nature, which they accord an important place in his critique of capitalism, his conception of communism, and his materialist conception of history. Marx, often refers to Gattungswesen:, which is translated as 'species-being' or 'species-essence'. According to a note from Marx in his manuscripts from 1844, the term is derived from Ludwig Feuerbach's philosophy, in which it refers both to the nature of each human and of humanity as a whole. However, in his sixth theses on Feuerbach, Marx criticizes the traditional conception of human nature as a species which incarnates itself in each individual, instead arguing that human nature is formed by the totality of social relations.