Marxism PSIR308

The standard left-wing critique: liberal justice endorses formal equality. (Equal opportunities and equal civil and political rights) Liberal justice ignores material inequalities (unequal access to resources)

Marxist critique: Libertarianism Marxist critique is true for libertarianism, as it gives formal rights of self-ownership, ignoring self-determination (note: we have addressed that this was one of the major criticism of libertarianism. Self-determination here refers to here our autonomy choose the best way of life (“ethical conduct”), and this we do so according to our own understanding of good life. There are different values in life and self-determination is more crucial than self-ownership).

Marxist critique: Rawls and Dworkin Rawls: material inequalities are compatible with equal rights. Those inequalities intend to promote the material circumstances of the less favoured.

Can liberals and socialists share the same account of justice? Dworkin’s theory of equality of resources vs. ‘compensatory justice’ of socialist theories (ambition-sensitive and endowment insensitive) . ‘Property-owning democracy’, ‘stakeholder society’ vs. market socialism (equalization of ownership of productive by means of resorting to markets for the distribution of goods and services

Marxism is dead—long live Marx? Rebirth of Marx: Analytical Marxism (analytical philosophy and social science) Selective project: Rejecting ‘historical materialism’ (Marx’s theory of history): the development of human societies are determined by class struggle. (concepts in bold are key to Marx’s theory of the social.) The latter is itself determined by the development of the means of economic production. At the final instance, it is inevitable that capitalism would be overthrown by the proletariat. It would be replaced by Socialism, which would create abundance so as to paw way for the establishment of communism.

From determinism to moral justification If socialism is inevitable, there is no need to defend how such society would be. (Capitalism would self-destruct due to its inner contradictions.) No need for moral argument because economic contradictions will do the work (“revolution”)

Justice Marx and Engels: no rational alternative to revolution and the idea of justice is contestable (what do is a scientific, and more importantly, a political intervention) Moral argument is a distraction to revolution Now, many workers have better living standards (workers movement, trade unions, welfare state)

Analytical Marxists and moral arguments Critique 1) Justice is virtue which aims to correct some flows in social life (“remedial virtue”). It concentrates on fixing conflicts between Individualism. Communism overcomes those conflicts (class conflict). No conflict, no need for justice! Critique 2) Justice is not compatible with private ownership due exploitation and alienation. We can socialize the means of production. They become the collective property of the community as a whole (remember the initial acquisition problem between Ben and Amy). Private property is unjust.

1. Communism beyond Justice Rawls. Justice is the first virtue of social institutions. Justice is the standard. A policy should be just. Otherwise, there is no way to fix injustice by resorting to other values (if I ask you to assess a public policy on the grounds of Rawls’s theory, you should concentrate on the value of justice. You should test if the policy is ‘just’, as Rawls defines it of course.)

Justice, moral equality, juridical equality Many Marxists object to justice. “Equal rights” and “fair distribution” are “obselete verbal rubbish. Contribution principle: labourers have a right to the products of their labour. For Marx, the principle is defect. Transitional between capitalism and communism. Equal right: everyone is measured by an equal standard: labour. Some people have more talents: unequal right for unequal labour. Remember here two workers.

Treating people as equals Marc denies juridical equality. Different workers have different talents and needs. Moral equality is central to Marx, according to some.

Juridical equality Equal rights have unequal effects: avoid to make distributive decisions Just distribution concentrates too much on distribution PRODUCTION, instead should be the focus Exploitation, classes, contradictory interests persist We should transfer the ownership of the means of production

Ownership? Ownership allows people to control over other people’s life, in addition to the fact that it creates social and economic inequalities. Heavy taxation on capitalist so as to equalize incomes: still a worker is a worker, and it is the capitalist who decides, holding power, how the worker spends his time.

A valid critique? Income is not mere concern for justice Rawls and Dworkin also mention about productive assets as being one of society’s sources Rawls: more egalitarian ownership for his ideal of property-owning democracy Marx’s objection is a distributive objection (goods could be distributed otherwise)

Critique of juridical community Justice is appropriate only if when we are in the circumstances of justice. It solves conflicts. Circumstances: 1) conflicting goals; 2) limited material resources Marxism wishes to overcome conflicting conceptions of the good. Consider the family: no principle of rightful duties and mutual advantage