Marxism and the Moral Point of View: Morality, Ideology, and Historical Materialism

311 Pages·1989·6.298 MB·English

by  Kai Nielsen

MARXISM AND
THE MORAL POINT
OF VIEW

MARXISM AND
THE MORAL POINT
OF VIEW
Morality, Ideology,
and Historical Materialism
Kai Nielsen
First published 1989 by Westview Press
Published in 2021 by Routledge
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Nielsen, Kai, 1926–
Marxism and the moral point of view : morality, ideology, and
historical materialism / Kai Nielsen.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 0-8133-0653-1
1. Communist ethics. I. Title.
BJ1390.N465 1989
171'.7—dcl9 88-14146
CIP
ISBN 13: 978-0-3670-0568-9 (hbk)
ISBN 13: 978-0-3671-5555-1 (pbk)
DOI: 10.4324/9780429035548
For Jocelyne

Contents
1. Introduction 1
2. Marxism, Morality and Moral Philosophy 26
3. Engels on Morality and Moral Theorizing 43
4. Marx, Engels and Lenin on Justice:
The Critique of the Gotha Programme 61
5. A Marxist Conception of Ideology 98
6. Marxism and Morality 117
7. If Historical Materialism Is True, Does Morality Totter? 136
8. Marx on Justice: The Tucker-Wood Thesis Revisited 155
9. On Marx Not Being an Egalitarian 193
10. Class Interests, Justice and Marxism 227
11. Marxism and the Moral Point of View 255
12. Marxism and Arguing for Justice 275
Index 295
vii

1
Introduction
I
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Marxwiosrtkwsii ntgth hipena ramoeftt hecera sn ocnoinccaelp tions
ofM arxsihsomsu alaydb omuotr aTlhiiitnsyc .lw uhdateths se hyo uld
saayb otuhfuten ctoimfoo nr ailnsic otiyea tbyot,uh etex toemfno tr al
commtehncetay jn u satbmliayfik aen,ad b ofruete deoqmu,a alnidt y,
justicet,h jeiu nscotlfwiu hcdoesil coneig foa rlm ations.
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moralMiazrixnhigas.vit enos, p postiout tioopsnico aina lsiosumg,h t
tpou stco iaolnias s cmi efonottiaifinnhcdga svter etshiseme pdo rtance
ofd evelaoc priintogifc q aupei ttahwlaaitsss c mi ennotmtio firca,l ­
thiasnt, os ti moprle yv epnr imarily moral.
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specliytfi,hac eca tlmuoarla ilnaig tiivseeosnc - iweithlyavlae c ertain
chargaecnteecrroa nlglrwyui etapnh at r tisctuaolgfdae er v elopment
oft hmeo doefps r oduTchtpeie ornv.a hseimlvoder lvayil eo wfas n y
scoieatryee pdlceyo ndibtyit ohmneoe ddoe fp roduocftt hiaotn
soectaiyn (dw hieitras ec lascsoise btyty h)de o micnlaainsntst erests
otfh sacoti eOtueyrx. t maonrta fulnicttitieroose n i nafonrldce eg itimate
thcel aisnst eorfte hsdeto sm icnlaanwsths ip luer potroat nisnwge r
ina ni mpamratnintaeotlr h i en teorfee vsetrsay loinVkeeere .yx t en­
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somerheoflwee tcettr rnuawtlhh ei nnr eatlhisettyya ndraerfldelcyt
thcel aisnst eorfte hsdeto sm icnlaansts .
Thiitssh iec onoscilodafMes a traixncM d a rxwihsemtr,hes e t ress
iso nm oraalsii dteyo Bluottgh wyer. i toifMn agrasxn ,od fM arxists
1 DOI: 10.4324/9780429035548-1