Human beings are subjected to conditioning and alienation from birth that hinders their progress. Through institutions like family, school, church and media, dominant ideologies are instilled in people through repetition of slogans and symbols akin to Ivan Pavlov's theory of conditioned reflexes. This leads to social, economic and intellectual alienation as people do not recognize themselves as agents or creators of reality. The Ideological State Apparatus, comprising institutions like education, religion and media, works to reproduce the relations of capitalist exploitation and ruling class ideology. Overcoming conditioning and alienation is necessary for humanity to advance.