Modern Monetary Theory and Distributive Justice shows how the macroeconomic framework called mode... more Modern Monetary Theory and Distributive Justice shows how the macroeconomic framework called modern money theory (MMT) is relevant to the field of political philosophy called distributive justice. Many of the macroeconomic assumptions of distributive justice are unstated and unexamined. The framework of MMT illuminates these assumptions and provides an alternative vision of distributive justice analysis and prescriptions. In particular, MMT holds that modern money is a nominal state issued token (fiat), there is a distinction between nominal assets and real assets, that state money as a nominal token can cause changes in real terms, and that the macroeconomy has historically not operated at capacity. The upshot of these assumptions held by MMT is that state spending can bring about changes in persons' well-being without traditional redistributive measures via taxation. This is in contradistinction to standard assumptions in the distributive justice literature, which holds that the macroeconomy is at capacity and, thus, redistribution is the necessary mechanism for enacting improvements in wellbeing. This is a fundamental shift in how distributive justice can be conceived.
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-43304-7
"The Social Thought of Karl Marx is an introductory work for students in the social sciences and ... more "The Social Thought of Karl Marx is an introductory work for students in the social sciences and the humanities. It can be used by undergraduate students, graduate students, scholars, and general readers. The book is written for people who have no previous knowledge of Karl Marx's work. Nonetheless, readers with some knowledge of Marx will also find the presentation to be helpful. The Social Thought of Karl Marx contains ten chapters organized to assist readers learn the general themes, categories, and applications of Marx's ideas. Topics covered in the chapters include the intellectual climate of his time, alienation, class, historical materialism, exploitation, ideology, economic crises, communism, and environmental decay. Marx's thought was focused on analyzing the structure, development, and problems of capitalist economies. Accordingly, The Social Thought of Karl Marx takes Marx's research on capitalism as its center-point. An outline of the basic features of capitalism is presented in the first chapter along with common defenses and criticisms of its outcomes. Marx's categories and ideas are individually discussed in light of his critique of capitalism. A chapter is devoted to Marx's statements concerning capitalism's impact on the environment. This addition is timely due to the recent resurgence of the field of Ecological Marxism. Each chapter concludes with a set of questions to assist in developing applications based on Marx's thought and to consider their cogency. A glossary has been added to help readers in learning Marx's terminology. The final chapter contains a set of additional readings to provide people a starting point for their future studies.
Contents:
1. The World of Karl Marx
2. Marx's Materialism
3. Alienation
4. Class
5. Historical Materialism
6. Economis
7. Ideology
8. Communism
9. Capitalism and the Environment
10. Further Readings"
This work analyses Marx's philosophy of nature and shows how it is the basis for his practical ph... more This work analyses Marx's philosophy of nature and shows how it is the basis for his practical philosophy. Previous analysis of Marx's philosophy of nature has considered humans as only natural beings and social beings. But, Marx analyzed humans' relationship to the natural world and to themselves as natural, social, and material. This material feature of human action can server as a basis for social critique and as the foundation for a practical analysis. The first chapter of this book analyzes Marx's philosophy of nature from his early to late works and argues that humans are natural begins that use nature to develop new capacities. This consideration is central in Marx's critiques of Hegel and Feuerbach. The second chapter discusses Marx's material critique of social forms and discusses why the distinction between material action and social action is a key component of Marx critique of capitalism. This chapter also discusses industrial history, ideology, wages, justice, and valorization. The third and final chapter builds on Marx's materialist analysis to develop a standard of practical action that takes human's material activity as its basis. This chapter also discusses classical historical materialist claims, liberal ethical theories, and a practical philosophic consideration of socialism.
Decommodification is an important support for the development of our excellences and the pursuit ... more Decommodification is an important support for the development of our excellences and the pursuit of our freedom of conscience. In order to show this, the paper will be structured as follows. First, it will be argued that a decommodified social threshold of goods and services is a necessary part of a free-standing politically liberal conception of justice. The authors to be reviewed in this section are R.H. Tawney and John Rawls. The second section will discuss a compendium of possible decommodified goods and services. Finally, an alternative of partial decommodification and a brief comment on basic income grants will be presented in the last sections.
This paper restates the thesis of "The Requirements of Justice and Liberal Socialism" where it wa... more This paper restates the thesis of "The Requirements of Justice and Liberal Socialism" where it was argued that liberal socialism best meets Rawlsian requirements of justice. The recent responses to this paper by Jan Narveson, Jeppe von Platz, and Alan Thomas merit examination and comment. This paper shows that if Rawlsian justice is to be met, then non-personal property must be subject to public control. If just outcomes merit the public control of non-personal property and this control is not utilized, then justice has been subordinated to the objectively less important institution of private property.
Modern money theory is a conjecture concerning fiscal spending and the nature of money. I show th... more Modern money theory is a conjecture concerning fiscal spending and the nature of money. I show that modern money theory provides two interesting insights into distributive justice that have not been addressed in the recent Anglo-American distributive justice literature: (i) that the nature of a sovereign fiat currency allows for some distributive conflicts to be avoided; and (ii) that recent Anglo-American distributive justice theories assume that the economy is at capacity. Based on this, I consider if the policy results of modern money theory can help foster a sense of justice.
Recent scholarship has considered the requirements of justice and economic regimes in the work of... more Recent scholarship has considered the requirements of justice and economic regimes in the work of John Rawls. This work has not delved into the requirements of justice and liberal socialism as deeply as the work that has been done on property-owning democracy. A thorough treatment of liberal socialism and the requirements of justice is needed. This paper seeks to begin to fill this gap. In particular, it needs to be shown if liberal socialism fully answers the requirements of justice better than property-owning democracy. It will be argued that liberal socialism does significantly better in realizing the two principles. This paper has the following structure, first, an overview of Rawls' position on economic regimes, capitalism, and the requirements of justice will be presented. In particular, how the two principles work in tandem to meet the demands of distributive justice will be considered. Second, a review of property-owning democracy will be conducted. Finally, liberal socialism will be examined and discussed as an economic regime that answers the requirements of justice more fully.
This paper will examine the three distributive problems of inequality, social scarcity, and envir... more This paper will examine the three distributive problems of inequality, social scarcity, and environmental decay. All three of these problems are the result of economic growth that is not properly structured by institutions. It will be argued that each one of these distributive problems exacerbates the other two. Any solution to one of these problems must address the other two as well. This paper will show that these three distributive problems can be minimized through a combination of tax measures, institutional changes, public employment creation, public service provision, and the nationalization of certain industries.
Modern Monetary Theory and Distributive Justice, 2023
In this book, I argue two main points. First, I seek to show the importance of a recently develop... more In this book, I argue two main points. First, I seek to show the importance of a recently developed framework of macroeconomics called modern money theory for the political philosophic discipline of distributive justice. Many of the macroeconomic assumptions of distributive justice theories are unstated and unexamined. The framework of modern money theory illuminates these assumptions and provides a useful vision of distributive justice analysis and prescriptions. Second, I develop two conceptions of distributive justice to argue the following. One, what I call a minimal standard of distributive justice can be attained through the use of state spending to achieve a form of full employment to meet the minimal needs of persons and increase their minimal opportunities. Two, I argue that a more demanding conception of distributive justice, based on the work of John Rawls, is necessary in order for the democratic aspiration of social and political equality to be achieved. https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-43304-7#:~:text=Modern%20Monetary%20Theory%20and%20Distributive%20Justice%20shows%20how%20the%20macroeconomic,justice%20are%20unstated%20and%20unexamined.
Modern Monetary Theory and Distributive Justice shows how the macroeconomic framework called mode... more Modern Monetary Theory and Distributive Justice shows how the macroeconomic framework called modern money theory (MMT) is relevant to the field of political philosophy called distributive justice. Many of the macroeconomic assumptions of distributive justice are unstated and unexamined. The framework of MMT illuminates these assumptions and provides an alternative vision of distributive justice analysis and prescriptions. In particular, MMT holds that modern money is a nominal state issued token (fiat), there is a distinction between nominal assets and real assets, that state money as a nominal token can cause changes in real terms, and that the macroeconomy has historically not operated at capacity. The upshot of these assumptions held by MMT is that state spending can bring about changes in persons' well-being without traditional redistributive measures via taxation. This is in contradistinction to standard assumptions in the distributive justice literature, which holds that the macroeconomy is at capacity and, thus, redistribution is the necessary mechanism for enacting improvements in wellbeing. This is a fundamental shift in how distributive justice can be conceived.
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-43304-7
"The Social Thought of Karl Marx is an introductory work for students in the social sciences and ... more "The Social Thought of Karl Marx is an introductory work for students in the social sciences and the humanities. It can be used by undergraduate students, graduate students, scholars, and general readers. The book is written for people who have no previous knowledge of Karl Marx's work. Nonetheless, readers with some knowledge of Marx will also find the presentation to be helpful. The Social Thought of Karl Marx contains ten chapters organized to assist readers learn the general themes, categories, and applications of Marx's ideas. Topics covered in the chapters include the intellectual climate of his time, alienation, class, historical materialism, exploitation, ideology, economic crises, communism, and environmental decay. Marx's thought was focused on analyzing the structure, development, and problems of capitalist economies. Accordingly, The Social Thought of Karl Marx takes Marx's research on capitalism as its center-point. An outline of the basic features of capitalism is presented in the first chapter along with common defenses and criticisms of its outcomes. Marx's categories and ideas are individually discussed in light of his critique of capitalism. A chapter is devoted to Marx's statements concerning capitalism's impact on the environment. This addition is timely due to the recent resurgence of the field of Ecological Marxism. Each chapter concludes with a set of questions to assist in developing applications based on Marx's thought and to consider their cogency. A glossary has been added to help readers in learning Marx's terminology. The final chapter contains a set of additional readings to provide people a starting point for their future studies.
Contents:
1. The World of Karl Marx
2. Marx's Materialism
3. Alienation
4. Class
5. Historical Materialism
6. Economis
7. Ideology
8. Communism
9. Capitalism and the Environment
10. Further Readings"
This work analyses Marx's philosophy of nature and shows how it is the basis for his practical ph... more This work analyses Marx's philosophy of nature and shows how it is the basis for his practical philosophy. Previous analysis of Marx's philosophy of nature has considered humans as only natural beings and social beings. But, Marx analyzed humans' relationship to the natural world and to themselves as natural, social, and material. This material feature of human action can server as a basis for social critique and as the foundation for a practical analysis. The first chapter of this book analyzes Marx's philosophy of nature from his early to late works and argues that humans are natural begins that use nature to develop new capacities. This consideration is central in Marx's critiques of Hegel and Feuerbach. The second chapter discusses Marx's material critique of social forms and discusses why the distinction between material action and social action is a key component of Marx critique of capitalism. This chapter also discusses industrial history, ideology, wages, justice, and valorization. The third and final chapter builds on Marx's materialist analysis to develop a standard of practical action that takes human's material activity as its basis. This chapter also discusses classical historical materialist claims, liberal ethical theories, and a practical philosophic consideration of socialism.
Decommodification is an important support for the development of our excellences and the pursuit ... more Decommodification is an important support for the development of our excellences and the pursuit of our freedom of conscience. In order to show this, the paper will be structured as follows. First, it will be argued that a decommodified social threshold of goods and services is a necessary part of a free-standing politically liberal conception of justice. The authors to be reviewed in this section are R.H. Tawney and John Rawls. The second section will discuss a compendium of possible decommodified goods and services. Finally, an alternative of partial decommodification and a brief comment on basic income grants will be presented in the last sections.
This paper restates the thesis of "The Requirements of Justice and Liberal Socialism" where it wa... more This paper restates the thesis of "The Requirements of Justice and Liberal Socialism" where it was argued that liberal socialism best meets Rawlsian requirements of justice. The recent responses to this paper by Jan Narveson, Jeppe von Platz, and Alan Thomas merit examination and comment. This paper shows that if Rawlsian justice is to be met, then non-personal property must be subject to public control. If just outcomes merit the public control of non-personal property and this control is not utilized, then justice has been subordinated to the objectively less important institution of private property.
Modern money theory is a conjecture concerning fiscal spending and the nature of money. I show th... more Modern money theory is a conjecture concerning fiscal spending and the nature of money. I show that modern money theory provides two interesting insights into distributive justice that have not been addressed in the recent Anglo-American distributive justice literature: (i) that the nature of a sovereign fiat currency allows for some distributive conflicts to be avoided; and (ii) that recent Anglo-American distributive justice theories assume that the economy is at capacity. Based on this, I consider if the policy results of modern money theory can help foster a sense of justice.
Recent scholarship has considered the requirements of justice and economic regimes in the work of... more Recent scholarship has considered the requirements of justice and economic regimes in the work of John Rawls. This work has not delved into the requirements of justice and liberal socialism as deeply as the work that has been done on property-owning democracy. A thorough treatment of liberal socialism and the requirements of justice is needed. This paper seeks to begin to fill this gap. In particular, it needs to be shown if liberal socialism fully answers the requirements of justice better than property-owning democracy. It will be argued that liberal socialism does significantly better in realizing the two principles. This paper has the following structure, first, an overview of Rawls' position on economic regimes, capitalism, and the requirements of justice will be presented. In particular, how the two principles work in tandem to meet the demands of distributive justice will be considered. Second, a review of property-owning democracy will be conducted. Finally, liberal socialism will be examined and discussed as an economic regime that answers the requirements of justice more fully.
This paper will examine the three distributive problems of inequality, social scarcity, and envir... more This paper will examine the three distributive problems of inequality, social scarcity, and environmental decay. All three of these problems are the result of economic growth that is not properly structured by institutions. It will be argued that each one of these distributive problems exacerbates the other two. Any solution to one of these problems must address the other two as well. This paper will show that these three distributive problems can be minimized through a combination of tax measures, institutional changes, public employment creation, public service provision, and the nationalization of certain industries.
Modern Monetary Theory and Distributive Justice, 2023
In this book, I argue two main points. First, I seek to show the importance of a recently develop... more In this book, I argue two main points. First, I seek to show the importance of a recently developed framework of macroeconomics called modern money theory for the political philosophic discipline of distributive justice. Many of the macroeconomic assumptions of distributive justice theories are unstated and unexamined. The framework of modern money theory illuminates these assumptions and provides a useful vision of distributive justice analysis and prescriptions. Second, I develop two conceptions of distributive justice to argue the following. One, what I call a minimal standard of distributive justice can be attained through the use of state spending to achieve a form of full employment to meet the minimal needs of persons and increase their minimal opportunities. Two, I argue that a more demanding conception of distributive justice, based on the work of John Rawls, is necessary in order for the democratic aspiration of social and political equality to be achieved. https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-43304-7#:~:text=Modern%20Monetary%20Theory%20and%20Distributive%20Justice%20shows%20how%20the%20macroeconomic,justice%20are%20unstated%20and%20unexamined.
Sovereign states have the power to regulate their economies by issuing a fiat currency. The use o... more Sovereign states have the power to regulate their economies by issuing a fiat currency. The use of a sovereign fiat currency allows states to regulate the price level, activate real resources, and create new wealth. Even though the state has the ability to produce large social and economic effects through its fiscal position, this state power has been neglected in the literature on just economic regimes. This paper combines ideas from a neo-chartalist theory of money and contemporary political philosophy to present a conception of state finance relevant to the discussion of just economic regimes.
This paper will argue that social scarcity exacerbates environmental decay. First, this paper wil... more This paper will argue that social scarcity exacerbates environmental decay. First, this paper will provide a review of Hirsch's work on social scarcity from his work the Social Limits to Growth. Second, there is a discussion of why Hirsch's dismissal of the physical limits to economic growth is flawed. Third, it will be argued that environmental decay converts environmental services into positional goods. Even though Hirsch's understanding of the physical limits to economic growth contains problems, this section of the paper argues that Hirsch's conception of social congestion can be applied to environmental services. The final sections will discuss Hirsch's recommendations for minimizing positional competition and include possible extensions of Hirsch's argument. In these sections, this paper will focus on Hirsch's arguments for a more egalitarian distribution of income and wealth, an expansion of public services, and the need for moral solutions. In particular, Hirsch's consideration of "as if altruism" will be discussed and analyzed.
Jeppe von Platz's article "Democratic Equality and the Justification of Welfare-State Capitalism"... more Jeppe von Platz's article "Democratic Equality and the Justification of Welfare-State Capitalism" develops a conception of justice called social democracy. Von Platz's social democratic conception is to be a unique alternative to John Rawls's theory of justice as fairness. Social democracy is conceived of as a robust welfare-state that runs at full-employment and prosperity is sought for all of its members. Von Platz has developed an interesting and useful conception of justice. But there are some problems with his criticism of justice as fairness. Von Platz's argument that the difference principle is not a unique principle of reciprocity is based on a mistaken understanding of reciprocity as defined by Rawls. If von Platz's critique of the difference principle does not work, then his social democratic conception of justice in comparison with justice as fairness is not distinctive. Additionally, this paper argues that the usefulness of von Platz's conception of social democracy is as a non-ideal transition model towards a more just society.
Hun Chung's recent article "Rawls's Self-Defeat: A Formal Analysis" argues that the selection of ... more Hun Chung's recent article "Rawls's Self-Defeat: A Formal Analysis" argues that the selection of results equivalent to justice as fairness can be derived by utilitarianism. Chung argues that these results can be achieved through the use of Rawls's constructed utility function from his work Justice as Fairness. Although Chung's article is finely argued and presented in great detail, this paper will show that Chung made three mistakes in the fundamentals of his argument. First, Chung mistakes Rawls's constructed utility function as actually utilitarian. Second, Chung confuses the motivations and the assumptions of those held by agents in the original position and those held by utilitarian agents. Last, Chung's previous mistakes result in the incorrect conclusion that an equal distribution of resources will be selected by representative agents instead of the unequal distribution prescribed by the difference principle.
In this essay I will argue that Immanuel Kant’s enlightenment project of enduring world peace and... more In this essay I will argue that Immanuel Kant’s enlightenment project of enduring world peace and rational reform of coercion should be expanded to include his conception of forgiveness. My plan is to first review the material and moral aspects of Kant’s conjecture concerning enduring world peace and the rational reform of coercion base on the ideal of freedom. Next, I’ll argue that the reconciliation of our desires to those of peace and freedom described in Kant’s project necessitate forgiveness. Finally, I provide a few speculative comments on the desirability of Kant’s Enlightenment utopian theory.
Paper presented at the 2021 Great Books Faculty Symposium.
This paper will show that Mary Wollstonecraft developed a modern feminist version of virtue ethic... more This paper will show that Mary Wollstonecraft developed a modern feminist version of virtue ethics. Virtue ethics is an all-encompassing moral theory which holds that the best life for individuals is commensurate with a good society. Simply, self-interest and our public duties are argued as identical and not at odds when we realize what is truly good for ourselves and for others. In the western philosophic cannon, the most common version of virtue ethics is Aristotle’s, with the Nicomachean Ethics as the definitive presentation. Wollstonecraft’s argument for the political, social, economic, and personal equality of women utilizes ideas that are reminiscent of classical virtue ethics. Her novel and effective addition is to show that the explicit inclusion of women requires a reconsideration of the duties needed for happy lives to be led and for a good society, and good families, to exist.
The final version of this paper was published in Academia Letters.
In his Republic, Plato argues that self-rulership cannot be widespread enough in a populace due t... more In his Republic, Plato argues that self-rulership cannot be widespread enough in a populace due to structural and persistent failures of education. This means that rulership by the few with the use of manipulative mythological devices is inevitable. That is, if a populace cannot rule themselves through the use of their reason, then they will be ruled by others through the use of myth, at best, and at worst, violence. Even given this rather grim conclusion, if we closely examine what Plato has to say about politics, we can see that there is no natural impossibility for generalized rule by the many. That is, there is no aristocracy of birth, but there is an aristocracy of the educated. As I will show below, we can develop a more democratic politics out of Plato if we consider the possibility of a democratic education. Before I do that, I will briefly consider Rawls' comments on the education of citizens for democracy. This will allow for a clearer consideration of the democratic potential of Plato's political philosophy in his Republic.
Liberty is a central value of our current political age but pinpointing the origin of its place i... more Liberty is a central value of our current political age but pinpointing the origin of its place in intellectual history is beyond my current abilities. What I can say is that its value has become irreplaceable from legitimate political discussions. The desirability of liberty in matters of faith, taste, and opinion are rather strongly adhered to. For the scope of this paper, there will be a focus on the notion that the regulation in the use of public amenities, public powers, public spending, and the use of private property can enable our enjoyment of liberty as opposed to corrupt it. Accordingly, this means that the value of liberties is premised at the same time on the limitation of other liberties. This is a problem of what are the reasonable limits to liberty, which Hobbes characterizes as preventing an unfruitful liberty and Rawls considers as preserving the fair value of liberty.1 I am interested in discussing this question of the reasonable limits to liberty by briefly using the work of these two authors, Hobbes and Rawls. My intent is to share their ideas on a topic of ongoing concern for ourselves. I will close with a few comments on preserving reasonable liberties during periods of social crises.
Kant argues in the Critique of Pure Reason that freedom cannot be demonstrated or refuted through... more Kant argues in the Critique of Pure Reason that freedom cannot be demonstrated or refuted through our knowledge of physical causes alone. Even though Kant leaves the achievements of Newtonian physics alone in his metaphysics of nature, he finds that in the realm of practical deliberation and action freedom is the only possible basis for moral judgements. Deliberative freedom, which Kant calls autonomy, provides the basis for his practical system's determination of the moral. Also, autonomy is an aspirational mode of judgement that allows for the progressive development of our societies. The possibility for our political worlds to become more desirable is due to the freedom of our cognitions, which allows us to examine ourselves and change in purposeful and objectively advantageous ways. Using Kant's philosophic framework, I will argue in this paper that the conception of moral freedom is a practical device for the preservation of our political liberty. To demonstrate this point, I will first review Kant's analysis of moral freedom as autonomy, especially in light of heteronomous standards and impulses. Next, I will show that moral freedom should be our deliberative standpoint when judging the desirability of our social and political conditions. Moral Freedom In the Third Section of Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals Kant provides a difficult and startling equivalence of free wills and moral wills:
This paper will briefly considered one of Plato’s many images regarding knowledge and politics i... more This paper will briefly considered one of Plato’s many images regarding knowledge and politics in the Republic. The image that this paper will focus on is of a sailing ship, which Plato introduces to discuss issues related to the knowledge of politics and the problems that politics poses for the use and attainment of knowledge. At 472d the dialogue shifts, temporarily, away from the ideal image of a city and begins to focus on considering the political problems of actual cities. The ship image is introduced by Plato as an introduction to the discussion of politics and philosophy in actual cities.
This paper will show that the appeal and consequences of godlike power described in Conrad's Hear... more This paper will show that the appeal and consequences of godlike power described in Conrad's Heart of Darkness is a tyrannical moral failure as discussed in classical Socratic philosophy. This paper will begin with a review of the classical analysis of tyranny as presented in the philosophy of Aristotle and Plato. Second, it will be shown that the actions of the adventurers discussed in Heart of Darkness are examples of the moral failure of tyranny. The paper will conclude with some brief comments on our potential for tyrannical acts.
This paper will present two classic accounts of the relationship of truth and liberal toleration ... more This paper will present two classic accounts of the relationship of truth and liberal toleration by briefly considering Thomas Hobbes’ and John Locke’s comments on the topic. The historical background to these comments are the Reformation and the Wars of Religion. Hobbes and Locke found that the reconciliation of people to a single system of religious belief to be impossible. Instead of reconciliation, they recommend liberal toleration, which separates out claims of truth into two broad categories: the political and the private. Within the political sphere truth can be utilized to ground our societal lives and to enforce public rules of conduct. Within the private sphere truth is a matter of private conscience which is immune from public interference. Thus, the liberal solution to the impossibility of reconciliation is to section off our worlds into public and private domains where there is no direct interaction.
This paper will discuss some interesting considerations by Thomas Hobbes regarding women and pol... more This paper will discuss some interesting considerations by Thomas Hobbes regarding women and politics. This paper will show that a Hobbesian politics based on consent excludes traditional notions of the state and the family with men as natural rulers. Even if Hobbes does provide a critique of patriarchy as the basis for the state, there are some apparent inconsistencies in his consideration of the abilities of women. In order to consider how governance by consent precludes theories of natural sex hierarchies as the origin of state power this paper will have two main sections. First, there will be a short overview of Hobbes' contradictory statements regarding the natural equality of men and women. Second, his consideration of why consent precludes the family as the origin of the state will be explored. The paper will conclude will some brief comments on politics and consent.
This is a brief paper presented at Wright College's Banned Books event during the fall 2018 semes... more This is a brief paper presented at Wright College's Banned Books event during the fall 2018 semester. It discusses the revolutionary nature of Kant's metaphysics.
This brief paper was a presentation on John Rawls at the Philosophy & Society Club of Wright Coll... more This brief paper was a presentation on John Rawls at the Philosophy & Society Club of Wright College on 3.20.18.
This dissertation explains Karl Marx’s understanding of nature, human action, and a materialist s... more This dissertation explains Karl Marx’s understanding of nature, human action, and a materialist standard of practical action. Marx’s understands natural processes as not identical with human action. There are two types of human action for Marx: material action and social action. Material action can use natural processes. Social action does not directly use natural processes, but social action can promote how material action uses natural processes. The difference between natural processes, material action, and social action is important for Marx since it: maintains the independent reality of nature, maintains the development of material accomplishments as separate from social forms, and demonstrates the transitory status of social forms. This difference between material action and social action allows Marx to criticize certain social forms while praising the productive possibilities of the current level of technical development. A practical standard is developed using Marx’s understanding of nature and human action. This practical standard is based on humans’ necessary relationship to natural processes. Beneficial outcomes according to humans’ material abilities and their existence as natural beings is established by application of the practical standard. The materialist standard of practical action can be understood as an ethical theory that is not based on traditional ethical criteria.
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Books by Justin P Holt
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-43304-7
Contents:
1. The World of Karl Marx
2. Marx's Materialism
3. Alienation
4. Class
5. Historical Materialism
6. Economis
7. Ideology
8. Communism
9. Capitalism and the Environment
10. Further Readings"
Papers by Justin P Holt
Here is the link: http://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/vFZAs7RjnDZgPitSrXXk/full
Sample Book Chapters by Justin P Holt
Second, I develop two conceptions of distributive justice to argue the following. One, what I call a minimal standard of distributive justice can be attained through the use of state spending to achieve a form of full employment to meet the minimal needs of persons and increase their minimal opportunities. Two, I argue that a more demanding conception of distributive justice, based on the work of John Rawls, is necessary in order for the democratic aspiration of social and political equality to be achieved.
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-43304-7#:~:text=Modern%20Monetary%20Theory%20and%20Distributive%20Justice%20shows%20how%20the%20macroeconomic,justice%20are%20unstated%20and%20unexamined.
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-43304-7
Contents:
1. The World of Karl Marx
2. Marx's Materialism
3. Alienation
4. Class
5. Historical Materialism
6. Economis
7. Ideology
8. Communism
9. Capitalism and the Environment
10. Further Readings"
Here is the link: http://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/vFZAs7RjnDZgPitSrXXk/full
Second, I develop two conceptions of distributive justice to argue the following. One, what I call a minimal standard of distributive justice can be attained through the use of state spending to achieve a form of full employment to meet the minimal needs of persons and increase their minimal opportunities. Two, I argue that a more demanding conception of distributive justice, based on the work of John Rawls, is necessary in order for the democratic aspiration of social and political equality to be achieved.
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-43304-7#:~:text=Modern%20Monetary%20Theory%20and%20Distributive%20Justice%20shows%20how%20the%20macroeconomic,justice%20are%20unstated%20and%20unexamined.
Paper presented at the 2021 Great Books Faculty Symposium.
The final version of this paper was published in Academia Letters.
Please cite as an unpublished paper.
Please cite as an unpublished manuscript.