ism , ▁invent ing ▁du alis ms ▁between ▁structure ▁and ▁ag ency . ▁The ▁academic ▁popular ity ▁of ▁struct ural - function al ism ▁has ▁decl ined , ▁" role ▁definitions " ▁have ▁become ▁more ▁and ▁more ▁change able ▁and ▁vague , ▁and ▁the ▁Al th us ser ian ▁argument ▁has ▁been ▁invert ed : ▁human ▁behaviour ▁is ▁explained ▁in ▁terms ▁of ▁soci obi ology . ▁Here , ▁" the ▁person " ▁is ▁identified ▁with ▁" the ▁physical ▁body ". ▁This ▁is ▁closer ▁to ▁Marx ' s ▁idea ▁of ▁" the ▁economic ▁formation ▁of ▁society ▁as ▁a ▁process ▁of ▁natural ▁history ", ▁but ▁often ▁at ▁the ▁cost ▁of ▁" natural izing " ▁( et ernal izing ) ▁social ▁phen omena ▁which ▁belong ▁to ▁a ▁specific ▁historical ▁time ▁– ▁by ▁replacing ▁their ▁real , ▁man - made ▁social ▁causes ▁with ▁alleg ed ▁bi ological ▁factors . ▁On ▁this ▁view , ▁humans ▁( except ▁ourselves ) ▁are ▁essentially , ▁and ▁mainly , ▁animals . ▁The ▁treatment ▁of ▁humans ▁as ▁if ▁they ▁are ▁animals ▁is ▁itself ▁a ▁strategy ▁of ▁dom ination . ▁ ▁Post mod ern ism ▁The ▁more ▁recent ▁post mod ern ▁criticism ▁of ▁Marx ' s ▁port ray al ▁of ▁character ▁mask s ▁concerns ▁mainly ▁the ▁two ▁issues ▁of ▁personal ▁identity ▁and ▁priv acy . ▁ ▁It ▁is ▁argued ▁that ▁modern ▁capital ism ▁has ▁moved ▁far ▁beyond ▁the ▁type ▁of ▁capital ism ▁that ▁Marx ▁knew . ▁Capital ist ▁development ▁has ▁changed ▁the ▁nature ▁of ▁people ▁themselves , ▁and ▁how ▁one ' s ▁life ▁will