Axel Honneth on Socialism: Creative Democracy and the Problem of Power

• In Event: 2383 - Theory Section Refereed Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 02.

Abstract

In his recent book, The Idea of Socialism, Frankfurt School theorist Axel Honneth elaborates a new conception of socialism as the establishment of social freedom in the three spheres of family, market economy, and public sphere – not just the economy as envisioned by previous theories. While Honneth has developed the Hegelian notions of social freedom and democratic ethical life in earlier works like Freedom’s Right, his statement on socialism is unique for its incorporation of John Dewey’s pragmatist insights about creative democracy and social cooperation. According to Honneth, socialism should come about through a cooperative enterprise of sustained problem-solving and experimentation by citizens, resulting in institutional reforms embodying the ideal of social freedom. This paper will review Honneth’s overall argument and the influence of pragmatism on his critical theory. I discuss how Honneth constructs a cooperative model of democracy as an alternative to the dominant models in political philosophy. The paper will then highlight two inter-related problems with Honneth’s argument: because Honneth rejects external criticism and insists on an immanent critique grounded in normative principles inherent in existing institutions, it is unclear to what extent experimental reforms will bring about a post-capitalist transformation; second, the Hegelian-Deweyan framework does not provide Honneth with adequate conceptual tools to analyze the durability of capitalist institutions and obstacles for emancipatory change. I argue that Honneth must incorporate a differentiated concept of power to address the strength of private interests and the capacity of civil society associations to challenge them.

Author

• Yotaro Natani, University of Wisconsin-Madison