Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
Date of Degree
2-2024
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Program
Philosophy
Advisor
Carol Gould
Committee Members
Omar Dahbour
Matthew Lindauer
Subject Categories
Ethics and Political Philosophy
Keywords
Equality, Solidarity, Exploitation, Socialism, Freedom, Justice
Abstract
In popular consciousness and culture, equality is often considered to be the preeminent socialist value. Equality, on this view, sits at the heart of the socialist ideal, and those who ascribe great value to equality will, other things being equal, find themselves more predisposed towards socialism than those who do not. However, in recent years egalitarian accounts of the socialist ideal have increasingly come under criticism from defenders of an alternative, freedom-based approach to understanding the values that underpin socialist commitment. This dissertation proposes to defend the egalitarian account of the socialist ideal. By reconceptualizing equality, we can reconstruct a distinctly egalitarian understanding of the socialist ideal, that can avoid the criticisms leveled at existing egalitarian accounts, without inheriting the disadvantages of replacing equality with freedom as the value at the heart of socialism.
Recommended Citation
MacRae, Callum Zavos, "Equality, Solidarity, and Exploitation: An Essay on the Philosophical Foundations of Socialism" (2024). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/5613