Karl Marx · Émile Durkheim Were Karl Marx and Émile Durkheim alive at the same time? Yes. Karl Marx and Émile Durkheim were alive at the same time for 24 years, from 1858 to 1883. Karl Marx was 39 when Émile Durkheim was born.Émile Durkheim was 24 when Karl Marx died, aged 64. Karl MarxGerman-born philosopherBorn 5 May 1818 · died 14 March 1883, aged 64Émile DurkheimFrench sociologistBorn 15 April 1858 · died 15 November 1917, aged 59 NapoleonAbraham LincolnKarl MarxÉmile DurkheimMahatma GandhiVladimir LeninAlbert EinsteinAdolf HitlerRonald Reagan Karl Marx and Émile Durkheim in bold, with some of their best-known contemporaries. Drag across to see the age each reached in any year. Faded ends mark uncertain dates.