Barry Maguire (UoE) – Moral Marxism – CRITIQUE-PTRG Seminar (20th November)

This chapter introduces an ideal moral relationship drawing inspiration from Marx, care ethics, and solidarity theory. According to this ideal, the good life is one in which we relate to others in caring solidarity as human. This chapter introduces the relevant features of care, drawing heavily on Eva Kittay’s work. Care involves intrinsic and engrossing motivation to meet someone’s needs with agent respect. It argues for important limitations of care as the sole basis for a moral ideal: care is asymmetric and compatible with a variety of views about needs. We do the same with solidarity, here drawing heavily on Andrea Sangiovanni’s shared activity approach: solidarity involves a we-perspective and shared responsibility, but it is impersonal and teleologically neutral. Combining care with solidarity yields both of their advantages but retains their problematic neutrality. For a satisfying account of a moral relationship, we add an identification with others in solidarity as human – as vulnerable, dependent, and disposed to flourish under conditions of, well, frankly, higher-phase communism.

This is a pre-read seminar. Paper available from 13 November.