Œconomia (Sep 2024)
Le libéralisme égalitaire de John Rawls, une « option distincte du capitalisme » ?
Abstract
One of the most significant misconceptions about A Theory of Justice is the belief that it advocates a purely redistributive welfare state. In Justice as Fairness, Rawls clarifies this misconception, expressing his hope that he has proposed an “alternative to capitalism” through either of the two economic systems he endorses: property-owning democracy or liberal socialism. But is Rawls’s hope truly justified? This paper aims to clarify Rawls’s definition of “capitalism” and highlight its limitations. Rawls appears to define capitalism by the presence of a power dynamic between social classes, which systematically benefits the owners of the means of production over non-owners. According to this definition, the economic systems he advocates are indeed opposed to capitalism. However, the fact that private ownership of the means of production and market mechanisms could still exist in these systems might lead some socialists to view them as capitalist, arguing that such features are incompatible with socialism. It is important to highlight that—in adopting John Stuart Mill’s idea of a stationary state—Rawls also suggests that a just society may require the cessation of capital accumulation. Many socialists argue that the defining characteristic of capitalism is the organization of production for profit rather than for use. This often-overlooked point is crucial because it shows that Rawls’s models, particularly in their “degrowth” versions, could indeed be viewed as theoretically alternatives to capitalism.
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