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The Tragedy of Marx and Justice: a Critique of Marx's

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The Tragedy of Marx and Justice: a Critique of Marx's THE TRAGEDY OF MARX AND JUSTICE: A CRITIQUE OF MARX’S FAILED ATTEMPT TO DISPENSE WITH PRINCIPLES OF JUSTICE PAUL CHRISTOPHER GRAY A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY GRADUATE PROGRAM IN POLITICAL SCIENCE YORK UNIVERSITY TORONTO, ONTARIO April 2016 © Paul Christopher Gray, 2016 Abstract In The Tragedy of Marx and Justice: A Critique of Marx’s Failed Attempt to Dispense with Principles of Justice, I critique Marx’s belief that his theory of history, as well as the socialist society it would help to bring about, are beyond the need for justice. Although there have been three waves of debate about the relation between Marxism and ethics (1890-1900s; 1950-70s; 1970-90s), no one has yet provided the definitive interpretation of Marx on the question of justice. Furthermore, each of these debates ended in the same basic impasse between consequentialism and deontology, both of which Marx explicitly rejects. This occurred for three reasons. First, they misinterpreted Marx’s immanent critique, which demonstrates how capitalism systematically contradicts its own principles. I explore Marx’s use of this method with regard to principles of justice. Second, they not only neglected the use of immanent critique in Marx, but also of Marx. They do not critique him according to his own standards. They fail to subject Marx to a historical materialist critique which roots his evasive relation to justice in the transformations of the theory and practice of justice in the transitions to capitalism. I discuss the major aspects of these transformations, the most important of which is the devaluation of justice relative to the ethical systems of non-capitalist class societies. I contend that Marx’s dismissal of justice is an uncritical absorption of the capitalist social relations that, otherwise, he did so much to critique. Third, the debates tended to focus on one or another aspect of justice, and in particular, the question of exploitation. Conversely, I argue that we need a comprehensive theory of justice that includes commutative justice, distributive justice, corrective justice, and complete justice. Only then can we appreciate the full ethical implications of the silence on justice in Marx and many Marxisms. Indeed, this more robust theory is necessary if justice is to be not only a principle of judgement by which we assign praise or blame, but also as a guide to activity, especially for those who aspire to something as dangerous as dramatic societal transformation. ii For Mom and Dad. iii Acknowledgements I could not have written this dissertation, let alone had so much fun while doing so, without the support of my lovely friends, David Simard, Adam Hilton, Ashlee Wactor, Janaya Letkeman, Bob Froese, Riiko Bedford, Tom Cheney, Steve Maher, Sara Ovens, Jordan House, Julian Ammirante, Meghan Sangster, Stefanos Kourkoulakos, Mike Gowanlock, Nicole Bernhardt, Genevieve Ritchie, Igor Shoikhedbrod, Natalie Thornhill, Calvin Jones, Steve Smith, Luke Farley, Kirk Haglund, and Arthur. I thank my supervisor, David McNally, who expressed interest in my research from the very first day of graduate school. I also thank my committee members, Terry Maley, Esteve Morera, Ted Winslow, Sabah Alnasseri, and Tony Smith. Your comments and criticisms dramatically improved my work. I must also extend appreciation to my political mentors, Sam Gindin, Greg Albo, Leo Panitch, and Herman Rosenfeld. You have always kept my theory grounded in practice. Finally, I express love and gratitude to my family, Mom, Dad, Marty, Les, Erin, Emily, Lauren, Kristen, Kate, and Alex. iv Table of Contents Abstract......................................................................................................................................................................... ii Dedication …………………………………………………………………………………………………………….iii Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................................................iv Table of Contents ……………………………………………………………………………………………………...v Epigraph ………………………………………………………………………………………………………...……vii Part 1: The Problem of Justice in Capitalist Modernity ................................................................................................. 1 Chapter 1: Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 1 Chapter 2: The Three Waves of Debate About Marxism and Ethics ......................................................................... 7 2. 1: The Debate of the 1890s-1900s ................................................................................................................... 12 2. 2: The Debate of the 1950s-70s ....................................................................................................................... 17 2. 3: The Debate of the 1970s-90s ....................................................................................................................... 26 Chapter 3: Toward A Historical Materialist Critique of Justice .............................................................................. 34 Part 2: Commutative Justice ........................................................................................................................................ 73 Chapter 4: Hegel on Commutative Justice............................................................................................................... 73 Chapter 5: Marx on Commutative Justice ............................................................................................................... 91 Chapter 6: The Tucker-Wood Thesis: Marx Deems Capitalism Commutatively Just ........................................... 132 6. 1: Marx Criticizes Capitalism on Non-Moral Grounds ................................................................................. 134 6. 2: Marx Criticizes Capitalism on Moral Grounds Other Than Justice ........................................................... 157 6. 3: Marx Deems Capitalism Commutatively Just, But Was Wrong To Do So ............................................... 164 6. 4: Critical Assessment of These Commentators ............................................................................................ 168 Chapter 7: The Cohen-Geras Thesis: Marx Deems Capitalism Commutatively Unjust ........................................ 170 7. 1: Marx Consistently Criticizes Capitalism As Unjust .................................................................................. 172 7. 2: Marx Criticizes Capitalism As Unjust…Without Knowing It ................................................................... 187 7. 3: What is the Basis of Commutative Injustice? ............................................................................................ 207 7. 4: Critical Assessment of These Commentators ............................................................................................ 210 Chapter 8: The Buchanan-Lukes Thesis: Marx Deems Capitalism Neither Just Nor Unjust ................................ 213 8. 1: Marx is Right to Think Beyond Justice ..................................................................................................... 213 8. 2: Marx is Wrong to Think Beyond Justice ................................................................................................... 220 8. 3: Critical Assessment of These Commentators ............................................................................................ 225 8. 4: Critical Assessment of the Debate on Marx and Commutative Justice as a Whole ................................... 227 Part 3: Distributive Justice ......................................................................................................................................... 232 Chapter 9: Hegel on Distributive Justice ............................................................................................................... 232 Chapter 10: Marx on Distributive Justice .............................................................................................................. 242 10. 1: Distribution Under Capitalism ................................................................................................................. 243 v 10. 2: Distribution Under Socialism .................................................................................................................. 250 Part 4: Corrective Justice ........................................................................................................................................... 278 Chapter 11: Hegel on Corrective Justice ............................................................................................................... 278 Chapter 12: Marx on Corrective Justice ................................................................................................................ 295 12. 1: Correction Under Capitalism ................................................................................................................... 295 12. 2: Correction Under Socialism .................................................................................................................... 309 Part 5: Complete Justice ............................................................................................................................................ 320 Chapter
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