Cage Match

“Beyond Liberal Egalitarianism – Marx and Normative Social Theory in the Twenty-First Century,” by Tony Smith, 2017

This is an academic attempt to convince ‘liberal egalitarians’ - or in politics what are called ‘left-liberals’ - to join with Marxists in opposing various forms of proletarian and human oppression that they do not recognize or assume can be fixed in a market economy. 

A Mouthful of a Boxing Match

Smith contends that the issues of forced wage work and undemocratic workplaces, along with capital’s exploitation of labor, misuse of technology and control of time are ignored by egalitarian theory.  Add to that the instability and dangers of the capitalist mode of production - over-accumulation, over-production, recessions and depressions, environmental damage, classes and inequality, imperialism and war and unequal world development.  Smith contends egalitarian liberals have no adequate response to these issues.  He hopes this convinces liberal egalitarians to join with Marxists in the world socialist project.  To do this he writes a familiar and detailed description of Marxism, but also an extensive and fair elucidation of liberal egalitarian views.

The typical liberal egalitarian (who I will call ‘left liberals’ from now on due to the deceptive meaning of egalitarian) believes that regulation and capitalist state controls can mitigate capital to an acceptable and ‘egalitarian’ extent.  This adds to their position advocating ‘democratic rights for all.’  When you think about it, this is a quite familiar position.  People like Stiglitz, Krugman, Reich and Warren come to mind, along with a few leftward politicians in the Democratic Party. Left-liberal philosophy is partly based on some of the writings of J.M. Keynes (‘The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money’), John Rawls (‘A Theory of Justice’) and Jürgen Habermas (Between Facts and Norms: Contributions Towards a Discourse Theory of Law and Democracy.’)

Left-liberals believe that the point of capital is not to increase profits or their money horde, but for the ‘greater good of society,’ or some such sociological shibboleth.  They tiptoe around the issues of work and class. It is the role of government and regulation, they hope, to tame the beast.  Neo-liberal history since the over-accumulation crisis of the 1970s has undermined that practical application.  Smith describes the theoretical conflict between their primary concern for the individual, while claiming to care about the community. He points out that their ‘normative’ Pollyanna understanding of the state and capital fails.

Ignore that man on the right...

Smith does not identify left liberals as part of a middle-class or upper-middle class criticism of capital, but that is what it is.  Smith says he does not hold with Marx’s analysis of the ‘falling rate of profit’, seemingly unaware of the statistical work of economists like Michael Roberts, who show it to be part of the predictable cycles of capital.  But at other times he embraces it. He also does not believe in Marx’s positions on immiseration of the proletariat or the progressive weakening role of the petit-bourgeois.  Yet even with that he thinks left-liberals’ prescriptions for really controlling capital are impossible in theory and ultimately illusory in practice, as capital is extremely flexible - like herding cats.

Implicit in this is a criticism of some forms of social-democracy, though Smith does not frame it so.  Actually-existing social democracy is an issue Marxists need to address and this book only begins to do that.

Smith goes into great detail on what the left-liberal responses are to various Marxist points, such as calling Marx a simple-minded ‘economist’ who ignored the political realm.  In his rebuttals, Smith maintains that if left-liberals ever gave workers enough democracy and equality, the whole profit system would be threatened.  The proletariat would break though the rhetorical barrier between the depoliticized economy and the political state, and what would be revealed is a political economy, a holistic system.  Smith extends his analysis to a global perspective, where ‘surplus countries' and their institutions prey on ‘deficit countries, 'thus failing any left-liberal standard of equality. Smith also takes on left-liberal theories of ‘commons-based peer production’ occurring on the internet; 'property owning democracy' or the glories of a new round of ‘creative destruction’ that will lead to a new level of capital.  Smith argues in detail that no new golden age is approaching.  He makes the point that technologic innovation no longer guarantees long periods of high profitability.  And warns against over-accumulation, which might lead to a round of destruction through war or depression.

This book provides much theoretical ammunition against the different theorists of left-liberalism, while adding to our present understanding of Marxism, though its sophisticated density is easier in small bites.

Other reviews on this subject, below:  “The Long Depression” (Roberts); “Listen Liberal!” (Frank); “Death of the Liberal Class”(Hedges); “Violence”(Zizek); “The Great Financial Crisis”(Foster-Magdoff); “Up From Liberalism!”(Jacobin).  Use blog search box, upper left.

And I bought it at May Day Books!

Red Frog

March 16, 2019