An analysis of the notion of proceduralism shows that it is given two very different meanings in the literature. We establish a sufficient condition for these two meanings to become coherent with one another, based on a pragmatic approach to the notion of acceptability. We then argue that, if this sufficient condition is accepted, then any proceduralist attempt at overcoming welfarism must involve a method based on the formation of preferences.
Tag: political philosophy
Gerald A. Cohen (1941–2009) and Marxism: Contributions and a Look from Afar
Philosopher Gerald A. Cohen died on the 5th of August 2009. His initial contribution focused on Marx’s thought. It appeared on the intellectual stage in 1978 with the publication of Karl Marx’s Theory of History: A Defence, and established Analytical Marxism. Later, he gradually departed from Marx’s theory. He discussed the libertarian concept of self-ownership and its possible association with the Marxist approach, before entering the normative debate around Rawls’s Theory of Justice. Based on Kantian philosophy, his critique of Rawls was that Rawls’s theory gave too little autonomy to individual choice. This paper discusses the consistency of Jerry Cohen’s intellectual journey through his relationship with Marx’s work.
The origins of the concept of the proletariat in the young Marx (1841–1845)
The emergence and development of the concept of the proletariat in the young Marx have not been extensively studied. Althusser opposed the early Marxian works (1841–1845) to the “mature” ones. Conversely, some authors have considered the proletariat as the extension of the notion of the individual, a fundamental concept from which subsequent concepts were derived. We base our article on this analysis expressed by Henry and supported by Ricœur. We review the concept of the individual in the young Marx, while considering the origins of the proletariat before Marx redefined it. We then study the double evolution of this concept in terms of philosophical and Marxian political ambition.