Ethics, Freedom, and Capitalism: A Critical Account of Marxism and Libertarianism

Abstract

This is an article in moral and political philosophy, addressing the significant differences between Marxian Ethics and Libertarian Ethics in relation to the justification of capitalism. The reason for choosing Marxism and Libertarianism is mainly because they are the strongest opponent and advocate of capitalism, respectively. While Marxian ethics refers to works of Karl Marx, libertarian ethics refers to that of Robert Nozick, F.A. Hayek, and Milton Friedman. My main argument is that while Marx bases his ethical judgement on communal beings and positive freedom, libertarians on egoistic beings and negative freedom. These differences lead to different standpoints on capitalism. However, I will not express my own judgement on capitalism as it goes beyond this paper's objectives.