Freedom and Equality: The Moral Basis of Democratic Socialism
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Author Description
Unashamedly polemical, this reissue of Freedom & Equality, first published in 1986, presents a strong and persuasively argued case for democratic socialism. In contrast to many recent books justifying conservatism and varieties of Marxism, Keith Dixon defends the two great principles underpinning democratic socialism - freedom and equality. He aims both to restore the idea of freedom to its proper place in the political vocabulary of the left and to defend a stark version of freedom as absence of constraint. Only this version of freedom, he argues, is consistent with the proper defence of civil liberties. Dixon also defends radical egalitarianism from its critics, who either repudiate its full force or reject it out of hand. He believes that freedom and equality are potentially realizable socialist goals, that democratic socialism is not necessarily linked with fraternalism, and - above all - that it should be based upon a firm and consistent conception of individuality.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This work investigates whether the core principles of freedom and equality can be reconciled within a coherent framework of democratic socialism. Keith Dixon, a political theorist, utilizes historical analysis and philosophical argumentation to challenge both conservative critiques and Marxist interpretations of socialist goals. He posits that a robust defense of civil liberties and radical egalitarianism is not only possible but essential for a consistent political philosophy based on individual autonomy.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- A philosophical defense of freedom defined as the absence of constraint.
- A critique of conservative and Marxist political frameworks.
- An argument for radical egalitarianism as a primary socialist objective.
- An exploration of the relationship between individual identity and democratic socialist policy.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Scholars and political theorists often cite this text as a significant contribution to the debate on the moral foundations of the left. Readers frequently note the dense, polemical nature of the prose, which serves as a foundational reference for those examining the evolution of socialist thought in the late twentieth century.
Page Count:
112
Publication Date:
2010-01-22
Publisher:
Taylor & Francis Group
ISBN-10:
0203857267
ISBN-13:
9780203857267
Philosophy
History
Socialism
Political Theory
