Marx on Distributive Justice
In: Philosophy & public affairs, Band 8, Heft 1, S. 27-64
ISSN: 0048-3915
Capitalism, as viewed by Marx, creates a society in which people are subordinate to the production of goods. The social classes are locked in an antagonistic interdependence, dominated by people, things, & impersonal forces. Is capitalism just? Marx defines distributive justice as: (1) distribution according to labor contribution, & (2) distribution according to human needs. According to these definitions, capitalism is unjust. Even socialist justice leaves much to be desired. Because individuals are unequal in their physical & intellectual endowments, they make unequal contributions to production & receive unequal rewards. The gifted are favored. Human needs are not considered, only labor contributions. P. Montgomery.