Introduction to Philosophy

Achieve Test Prep: Philosophy

Rawls’ modern liberalism is founded on the assumption that all citizens are entitled to equal opportunities to achieve their maximum potential. Rawls suggests that to conceive a fair and just society, we need to assume a veil of ignorance regarding our own standing and situation within the idealized society.

Marx and Engels: Justice is Based on Need and Ability Liberalism is a sociopolitical theory that emphasizes the liberty, rights, and responsibilities of the individual and is tied to the concept of social contract reflected in the views of Hume, Locke, and Rawls. Liberalism is a just society is one in which individuals are free to pursue their own interests and achieve their own goals. The role of government is to ensure that individuals’ rights are protected so that they can pursue their free choices without interference from others. Socialism is the sociopolitical philosophy that is the major competitor to liberalism. For socialism, a just society is one in which the wealth and property produced by society belongs to everyone and ought to be shared with everyone. In sharp contrast to liberalism’s emphasis on the rights of the individual, socialism takes as its starting point the welfare of the entire community of individuals, and its central theme is captured in Karl Marx’s slogan, “From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs.” Liberalism and socialism are the two predominant ideologies in the modern world, and most modern societies are a version of one or the others or some blending of the two. In general, societies that are characterized as capitalistic, which is a social organization based on the free market exchange of goods and services, are considered build on the principles of liberalism. Societies characterized as communist, which is a social organization based on communal ownership of resources and communal self-government, are considered built on the principles of socialism. Karl Marx is the political theorist who is considered to be the architect of modern socialism, and his views have had a profound impact. Marx believed that ideas should be alive, with real world consequences, a view captured in his statement that, “The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways: the point is to change it.” Marx believed that this change is best accomplished through social and political action. Marx was drawn to the ideas of Georg Hegel who believed that history unfolds according to certain laws following a logic that Hegel described as dialectical. Marx believed that we can see dialectical movement of history that is each historical state of events creates or leads to, its opposite which in turn, results in a synthesis which that unites and transcends the two conflicting forces. Marx was convinced that the economic structure (in terms of the means of production of a society) is the dominant force that shapes the community’s social relationships, political processes, and spiritual values. Marx’s most famous writings include Manifesto of the Communist Party , which he coauthored with Friedrich Engels. Marx and Engels begin their manifesto, a word that means a proclamation or declaration of principles, by first describing the social context. History is best understood, they argue, as a sequence of class struggles between the oppressors and the oppressed, a dynamic process that in all cases results either in a revolutionary reconstitution of society or the economic ruin of all parties. In the judgment of the of a feudal society to one based on capitalism, free

Page 115 of 125

©2017

www.achievetestprep.com