Karl Marx’s Vision of the Good Society
Karl Marx’s ideal society is taken far less seriously than his critique of capitalism. But he did offer a rich account of what a better society would look like — one built around meaningful work, mutual care, and human flourishing.
A photograph of part of the mosaic Unser Leben (1964) by Walter Womacka, at Alexanderstraße 9, Berlin-Mitte, Germany. (OTFW)
This argument has two aims. One is to develop an interpretation of Karl Marx’s vision of the good society that is more social than the prevailing interpretation. The second is to show that this interpretation represents an appealing account of the good society, one that offers a compelling alternative to prevailing views of the just society in contemporary political philosophy.
These two aims are related. Marx’s vision of the good society is rarely taken seriously in contemporary political philosophy. It is often thought to be subject to devastating objections. However, these objections rest on an individualistic interpretation of Marx’s vision, popularized by Jon Elster and G. A. Cohen. By providing a more social interpretation, I show that the objections facing Marx’s position are not decisive, and that he has a more attractive account of the good society than we are usually presented with.
The Mutualist Interpretation
In what follows, I present an interpretation of Marx’s vision of the good society that is based on the following three claims:
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