Week Three: Political Theory, Marx and Rawls

What are the four different conceptions of justice?

1. Retributive Justice

2. Restorative Justice

3. Procedural Justice

4. Distributive Justice

What is retributive justice?

A theory of punishment, which states that those who commit certain kinds of wrongs morally deserve to suffer punishment

Restorative Justice

a theory of restitution, which attempts to restore/repair harm done to persons and communities by wrongdoing

Procedural Justice

conceives of justice as the result of fair, impartial, and transparent procedures. (Unlike 1 and 2, where justice requires a particular outcome.)

Distributive Justice

a theory of justice, which seeks to distribute rights,
resources, and opportunities fairly among members of a society.

What is RAWLS’ take on justice?

è Extremely important

o   “Justice is the first virtue of social institutions, as truth is
of systems of thought. A theory, however elegant and economical, must be rejected or revised if it is untrue; likewise laws and institutions no matter how efficient and well-arranged must be reformed or abolished if they are unjust.”

Justice is meant to address the issue of distributing costs and benefits of social cooperation.

What are the three main ideas about how to best distribute the advantages of social cooperation?

1. Perfectionist conceptions of justice

2. Utilitarian conceptions of justice

3. Liberal democratic conceptions of justice

What is the perfectionist conceptions of justice?

1. Perfectionist conceptions of justice: the advantages of social cooperation are distributed to foster the highest excellences of a society (e.g., beauty, godliness, might,
truth, and more).

What is the utilitarian conception of justice?

2. Utilitarian conceptions of justice: the advantages of social cooperation are distributed to maximize the happiness of the greatest number of citizens in a society. (Trying to maximise happiness without ethical preconceptions)

What is the liberal democratic conceptions of justice?

Liberal democratic conceptions of justice: the advantages of social cooperation are distributed to ensure fair and equal opportunity for all citizens of a society. (There is indeed a deep continuity between liberalism and marxism (via Marx’ manifesto)

What is the main commonality between Marx and Locke?

Purpose of government: To preserve the life, liberty, and possessions (= the
property) of each and every individual subject to it (= the people).

Both Locke and Marx respond to a crisis of the powerlessness of the people; economic or social. Both attempting to restore legitimacy, consent, etc.

What is the main difference between Marx and Locke?

Both Locke and Marx respond to a crisis of the powerlessness of the people; economic or social. Both attempting to restore legitimacy, consent, etc.

The main DIFFERENCE is that Locke sees it as personal, Marx calls out the system

it is important to note that the context is extremely different; Locke and Marx are both responding to very different issues; Marx being capitalist and royal absolutism for Locke.

Why does Marx believe that the people have right to revolution?

Unable to protect the property of its subjects. If the bourgeoise cannot protect the interest of the people, it is not a legitimate ruler and hence they have the right to revolution.

Quick section overview of the communist manifesto:

1. A. Depicts the history of society as the history of class struggle.
B. Describes the bourgeoisie.
C. Predicts proletariat victory.
2. A. Describes position of communists within the
proletariat class.
B. Rejects bourgeois objections to communism.
C. Characterizes the communist revolution.
3. Extended critique of other types of socialism: reactionary, bourgeois, utopian.
4. A. Outlines the political tactics of communism.
B. Appeals for proletarian unity.

Why does Marx praise the bourgeois? How does he describe them?

Marx describes the bourgeois as revolutionary => he praises them for their innovation and achievements and dynamism. Its cultural and intellectual explosion and energy.

In economics and technology, the bourgeois is extremely:

-          Extraordinary innovative in economics, technology

o   Competition between innovation and competition

§  Their drive for innovation and betterment drives them. This system doesn’t incentivise, but it necessitates improvement

§  Pace is relentless

o   Dynamism makes for a radically different society – forces of economic dynamism do not damage society, but it makes society bond and stronger.

o   Every prior non bourgeoise class was to achieve stability and stasis, to keep things as they were. However, the bourgeoise is afraid of a prolonged period of economic stagnation => growth is an imperative.

§  Contribute in a way that will continue to destabilise society

Modes of production/economy will sprout a set of institutions and rules, ways of life including:

-          Politics

-          Law

-          Culture

-          Religion

-          Family

The point of all other endeavours from the beginning of time is to

enforce the dominant system; ie capitalism and to keep the system

A side effect of the capitalist system that keeps it running is that:

It Will generate a characteristic personality type required for that mode of production and sets the psychology for that image.

-          They serve to consolidate the power of capitalsm.

What are Marx’s two criticisms of the bourgeoise?

1.      It restricts and distorts human development. You only cultivate traits that benefit society.

2.      Creates the class that overthrows it

What is the definition of capitalists/bourgeoise?

Capitalists: own/control the means of production and resources.

What is the definition of worker/bourgeoise:

Workers: own/control (only) their labor power // their time (and they sell it)

What is the relationship between the bourgeoise and proletariat?

They are codependent but antagonistic. Exploitative relationship.

What is the crisis of capitalism in 3 steps?

1. In a crisis, productive forces are destroyed (in particular, labour power is devalued or goes unused).
2. Creates a situation of overproduction. = Too many goods chasing too much money.
People can’t buy things.
3. Rinse and repeat, only worse. Overproduction àDeeper Crisis àMore destruction
of productive forces à overproduction à etc.

è Capitalism has the unique quality of creating poverty out of overproduction.

Communism is the solution to capitalism. Communism is the form that the commonwealth must take under capitalism.

What is the crisis of capitalism?

-          Marx claims that capitalism can never be stable and at some point it will fall to pieces.

-          Capitalism produces the state of war at the heart of civilisation (constant innovation)

Why is capitalism considered exploitative?

A good capitalist will reinvest. According to Marx, either way, the money, or rather the surplus, is privatised by the capitalist. The idea is that surplus should become a public asset rather than a private one.

What are the two definitions of exploitation?

1. The action of treating someone unfairly to benefit from their work. (Normative meaning)
2. The action of making use of and benefiting from resources. (Descriptive meaning). A morally neutral word.

Why does Marx consider the proletariat special?

It cannot liberate itself without liberating the whole of society

“-         All the preceding classes that got the upper hand, sought to
fortify their already acquired status by subjecting society at
large to their conditions of appropriation. The proletarians
cannot become masters of the productive forces of society,
except by abolishing their own previous mode of
appropriation, and thereby also every other previous mode
of appropriation. [...] All previous historical movements
were movements of minorities, or in the interests of
minorities. The proletarian movement is the self-conscious,
independent movement of the immense majority, in the
interests of the immense majority (83).

(because it’s egalitarian)”

What are the Three different classes according to Marx?

• Aristocracy

• Bourgeoise

• Proletariat

What are the aristocracy according to Marx?

Aristocracy: conservative and unequal. Wants to roll back time and retain privilege and status (feudalism). Dominates through stasis.

What is the bourgeoise class according to marx?

– Bourgeoisie: revolutionary and unequal. Wants to maintain their standing in an unequal yet dynamic economic system (capitalism). Dominates through innovation.

What is the proletariat according to Marx?

– Proletariat: revolutionary and equal. Wants to create an equal political and economic system (communism).

What will happen during Communism to politics?

è Idea of politics and party politics and different interests will disappear

o   They are all versions of the same thing. Under communism, there will be no different parties because everyone will have the same interests.

o   It will become merely a bureaucracy and redistribute resources to where it seems most fit.

§  What we will have is civic-minded bureaucrats who redistribute most ethically. There will no longer be differing interests.

§  We will be collectively socialised into a single moral code.

§  Marx believed IR would not exist and instead national communist governments.

§  Exploitation is not the same as corruption. In this utopia, there will be no exploitation, however there is susceptibility to corruption (state acquired monopolies)

Marx in a nutshell:

“The history of all existing society is the history of class struggle.”

Marx believes in the dialectic, meaning:

contradiction within itself, and to solve it will become a different version of itself.