Property and Justice: A Trend Towards Marxist Political Philosophy

The book Property and Justice: A Trend Towards Marxist Political Philosophy by a Chinese political philosophy scholar, Prof. ZHANG Wenxi, provides a refreshing and thought-provoking analysis of Marxist political philosophy and its relevance today. While the author aims to revive ‘radical’ thinking in China, the book’s exploration of Marxist theories of justice, property, and human liberation offer valuable insights for readers worldwide interested in leftist thought and social emancipation.

The author engages in an admirable way with debates on justice and ethics in political philosophy. Contemporary Marxist theories, from analytical to libertarian to feminist, declaring a diversity of radical perspectives on justice, now readers would benefit from this book more deeply. The author is to be commended for acute reflecting on the complexity and contingency involved in moral reasoning. These reflections point to the need for humility and openness in theorizing justice – a need that applies as much to liberals as to Marxists.

The mainstay of this book offers a bold rethinking of Marx’s vision that is both historically grounded and strikingly relevant today. The author provides a compelling account of how Marx inaugurated a ‘new wave’ of modern thought that critiqued private property, class division, and liberal justice. While more nuanced analysis of Marx’s disagreements with predecessors like Hobbes would strengthen the book’s account (Chapter 5), the author admirably highlights Marx’s radical challenge to mainstream thought. This articulation of Marx’s vision for human liberation deserves a wide readership.

Marx’s call for proletarian property and alternative communist justice remain immensely important, yet deeply controversial ideas. The book benefits from engaging more fully with the diversity of contemporary leftist thought on these topics, including opposing Marxist perspectives. A complex systems analysis that relates property, markets, and class to dynamics of technology, ecology, and globalization today have further bolstered the book’s contemporary relevance (Chapters 8 to 11). The author should be commended for thoughtfully articulating Marx’s radical proposals and spurring debate on these fundamental issues, being divided into five part sections in his book.

Part Section One discusses the core issues around justice and Marxism. Regarding the relationship between Marxism and justice, contemporary academic discussions have covered a wide range of perspectives. Some scholars emphasize the inherent connection between Marxism and justice. For example, Allen Wood argues that Marxism contains a theory of justice centred on equitable access to social goods and cooperative relationships. Others like Gerald Cohen propose that Marxism embodies an egalitarian conception of justice focusing on equal access to resources.

In contrast, the author holds a more critical view towards the possibility of determining and achieving justice based on Marxism and rational philosophy alone. He argues that political judgements on justice need to be constantly re-evaluated to avoid ‘the trap of expediency policies.’ The author also points out the limitations of rational and scientific knowledge in answering moral questions on right and wrong. Instead, the author advocates ‘surpassing expert justice models and emphasizing folk justice.’ (Chapters 1 to 2)

This view offers some insights that supplement contemporary discussions. First, it highlights the historical contingency and circularity in theories of justice, including those inspired by Marxism. The standards of justice are shaped by historical contexts and in turn shape social realities. Second, it points to the inadequacy of rationalism and scientific objectivism in determining moral and political rights. Justice is not just a technical issue but involves practical wisdom and intuitions.

However, the author’s view would benefit from further engagement with contemporary Marxist theories of justice. His characterization of Marxism as ‘eradicating ideological fraud’ and ‘changing relations of production’ as the sole means to social change would be rather reductive for contemporary Western Marxist philosophers. The latter believes that they have developed more nuanced theories centring equality, human development, and radical democracy.

Discussing Marxist philosophy, Part Section Two provides an analysis of Marx’s political thought, focusing on his critique of capitalist society and vision for human liberation. Regarding Marxism and justice, contemporary scholars have developed various interpretations. Some focus on Marx’s theory of exploitation and alienation under capitalism as implying a conception of justice based on human flourishing and equality. Others argue that Marx was more concerned with envisioning a post-capitalist future than theorizing justice.

The author adopts the latter view, emphasizing Marx’s ‘radical’ vision for transcending the existing state and politics. The author highlights Marx’s turn away from the ‘old materialism’ based on individual interests towards a ‘new materialism’ (Chapter 3) founded on collective social forces and radical social change. His analysis would approach addressing contemporary arguments that identify a theory of justice implicit within Marx’s critique of capitalism. Engaging with scholars like Wood and Cohen could strengthen readers’ understanding of the author’s own interpretive position.

The author insightfully situates Marx’s thought within the historical context of 19th century Germany, marked by romanticism, humanism, and ‘lack of spirit.’ The author argues that Marx represented a ‘new wave’ of radical modern thought that profoundly criticized existing society and sought human liberation. However, the author’s dichotomy between ‘tradition and modernity, convention and exception’ might be rather simplistic for some peer scholars, as Marxist philosophy embodied aspects of both radicalism and continuity with earlier thinkers like Hegel. Readers could pay more attention to that a more nuanced analysis of Marx’s intellectual context and influences could bolster the author’s historical argument.

The author’s touch on Marx’s critique of Hobbes’ political philosophy will bring great inspiration to readers, differing many mainstream Western Marxist researchers’ recount. Expanding on Marx’s disagreement with Hobbes’ theory of human nature and social contract theory could better substantiate the author’s view that Marx sought to transcend existing political thought. Being inspired by this, readers may realize that discussing contemporaries of Marx who advanced similar critiques of liberalism, like Henry David Thoreau, could also place Marx’s ‘radical’ vision in fuller historical context.

Part Section Three provides an analysis of Marx’s theory of property and concept of the proletariat. Regarding Marx’s view of justice, contemporary scholars argue that Marx saw private property and class relations under capitalism as inherently unjust, while envisioning a communist society of collective property as the condition for human freedom and flourishing. The author adopts a similar position, focusing on Marx’s critique of private property and capitalist exploitation.

The author offers an insightful analysis of Marx’s critique of Adam Smith’s theories of property and the free market (Chapter 7). The author rightly argues that for Marx, Smith failed to prove that private interests and free markets necessarily lead to justice or meet the needs of all. However, the author’s claim that Smith ‘emphasized private property’ may cause confusion among many Western scholars, as in their opinions, Smith saw commercial society as transformative of traditional property relations. Even so, if readers take a more balanced analysis of Smith’s views, they will have a better understanding and support for the author’s argument that Marx sought to transcend liberal conceptions of property and markets.

The author highlights the overtones of inevitability in Marx’s vision of the proletariat as the agent of human salvation and collective use of resources (Chapter 9). Western readers may feel it as having a certain ‘religious’ connotation. The author’s view that the proletariat is ‘now seen as disappearing’ should be worth noting, since the recognizing of the ongoing role of the working class in Marxist theories of revolution and praxis is still valued by some mainstream opinions. Contemporary autonomist Marxists like Michael Hardt argue that new forms of ‘immaterial labour’ comprise a new proletariat within post-industrial capitalism. Addressing this kind of arguments, author enriches the analysis of the proletariat’s enduring significance.

Part Section Four analyzes Marx’s critique of liberal conceptions of justice, ethics, and law. Regarding Marxism and justice, contemporary scholars debate the degree to which Marx rejected justice outright or envisioned an alternative vision of communist justice. Author argues that for Marx, justice was not an abstract moral concept but rather the result of historical material processes, revealed through a critique of the injustice and exploitation of existing society.

The author insightfully highlights Marx’s view that liberal ethics and law reflect the interests of the ruling class, obscuring real social inequalities. Contemporary scholars like Allen Wood argue, Marx saw communism as embodying an alternative set of moral values centred on solidarity, cooperation, and human flourishing. However, the author pays attention to another aspect, that is, Marxism ‘withdraws from the moral field’ (Chapter 10), showing the existential truth: Marx revealed the irrationality of capitalism through Political economy criticism, rather than through moral value judgement.

The author provides an incisive analysis of the critique of liberal property law in Marx’s ‘The Debates on the Law on Thefts of Wood.’ (Chapter 12) However, the author’s distinction between Marx’s focus on ‘pre-justice’ and ‘injustice in history’ versus traditional ‘due justice’ seems to be prone to conflicts with some popular viewpoints, which Marx did advance a vision of communist justice as an alternative to liberal justice, not just a critique of the latter.

While the author highlights Marx’s benefits from classical economists like Smith in terms of developing a historical materialist method, readers still should squarely recognize key differences in Marx and Smith’s theories of political economy. As the author rightly notes, Smith saw private property as harmonious with justice and the common good, while Marx saw private property as inherently unjust and exploitative. Especially, readers should not arbitrarily reckon that Smith ignored the issue of justice. Under the inspiration of the author, readers may wish to reposition and re-evaluate Smith’s own theory of justice and ‘moral philosophy.’

Part Section Five and ‘Conclusion’ analyse issues of political philosophy in contemporary China, focusing on socialist equality, the future of Marxist philosophy, and the need for inspiring political thought. Regarding Marxism and justice in China, scholars debate the degree to which Marx’s ideas support or contradict contemporary policies like market reforms and globalization. The author argues that China needs to revisit Marxist philosophy by returning to Marx’s radical vision for human emancipation and critique of capitalism. The author’s analysis would benefit from addressing arguments that Marxism aligns with China’s contemporary ‘revisionism’ (surely under a Western preconception) development, and provides theoretical explanation for the governing of Communist Party of China.

The author provides an insightful critique of ‘political correctness’ and ‘right action’ in Chinese political philosophy, arguing for a return to Marx’s original concerns with criticizing capitalism and envisioning communist society (Chapter 14). However, the author’s distinction between ‘academic philosophy’ and ‘Marxist political philosophy’ needs his own further elaboration. The author rightly argues that Marxist philosophy should not be reduced to ‘a rejection of Western tradition’ but needs reconstruction and reinterpretation.

The author highlights key concepts in Marxist philosophy like criticism of obsolete ‘human rights’ (Chapter 14), justice as communist social justice, and the withering away of the state, and insightfully argues that contemporary Chinese political philosophy should have such a kind of clear attitude: prosperity alone does not entail fairness, justice or happiness, and that scientism cannot be completely trusted. However, Western scholars may be more eager for the author to engage in a deeper interpretation of Marxist principles and their relation to contemporary realities in China. For example, the author could analyse China’s human rights, economic, scientific-technological innovation and sustainable development policies in light of Marx’s vision for radical democracy and equitable distribution.

Considering political philosophy in China’s context, by author’s systematic interpretation of Marxist philosophy, his arguments have already exceeded the limitation by minimal engagement with alternative perspectives. The author profoundly reflects on China’s need for visions that match the complexity of its social changes. With significant expansion, it could provide a compelling vision for reviving Marxist philosophy in China in a way suited to the 21st century.

In an era when leftist thought is marginalized yet sorely needed, this book recommends a radical yet nuanced return to Marxist philosophies of justice, property and human liberation. Many aspects of the author’s arguments have had the characteristic of complex thinking. Still this book as a whole succeeds in articulating a Marxist vision strikes in its relevance for today’s global crises of inequality and alienation. For any thinker concerned with the future of ‘radical’ philosophy, justice, and human emancipation, this book proves a thought-provoking read. With readers’ engagement it could rebuild a ‘road marker’ for enhancing political philosophy for our times.