Socialism and Moral Philosophy

Abstract

This chapter investigates the relation between socialism and moral theory. First, I classify theories of moral philosophy. The normative theory is grouped into moral and nonmoral theories, and moral theory is composed of teleology and deontology. Teleology consists of consequentialism and essentialism, and deontology comprises pure and mixed deontology. Next, I inquire into the relation between liberal normative theory and moral philosophy. Welfare liberalism and neoliberalism employ consequentialism. Communitarianism is rooted in essentialism. Libertarianism and egalitarian liberalism are categorized into pure and mixed deontology, respectively. Then, I contemplate the relation between socialism and theories of moral philosophy by referring to R. G. Peffer’s work. Opinions on socialist normative theory extend to almost all theories of moral philosophy, including the affirmation and denial of normative or moral theories, utilitarianism, nonwelfarist consequentialism, essentialism, and mixed deontology. What moral theory the socialist normative theory relies on remains unsolved.