Has Marx a Concept of Justice?

Abstract

This work explores the question of whether Karl Marx has a concept of justice in his analysis of capitalism and communism. Thinkers such as Norman Geras, Ziyad Husami and, Jon Elster, among others, argue that the 'need principle' – 'from each according to his ability to each according to his needs' is fundamentally Marx's concept of justice. They aver that Marx appraises all modes of production from the standpoint of this principle. Contrary to this view, Allen Wood, Robert Tucker and, Steven Lukes, among other thinkers, argue that Marx does not have a concept of justice. Their argument hinges on the view that Marx was antagonistic to morality and moral postulates including justice which he saw as ideological and functions to maintain the interest of the ruling class. This paper, after critically examining the different views, argues that it is mistaken to consider the ‘need principle' as Marx's absolute standard of justice.  The ‘need principle', the paper argues, is one of the principles of justice found in Marx but not Marx's absolute standard of justice. Marx does not have an absolute standard of justice. Nonetheless, there are multiple notions of justice implicit in his theory. The paper contends further that the moral content of Marx's views accounts for the evergreen status of his ideas.