Research On G.A.Cohen’s Thought Of The Relationship Between Freedom And Equality

The relationship between freedom and equality is not only one of the core categories of modern western political philosophy,but also the main value pursuit of Marx’s theory of human freedom and liberation.At present,it is also related to the superiority and desirability of socialist ideal.Based on this,G.A.Cohen devotes himself to the normative construction of the relationship between freedom and equality under socialism with the analytical method of analytic philosophy.This construction is based on Cohen’s criticism of Robert Nozick and Isaiah Berlin.Firstly,by criticizing Nozick,Cohen reveals the first dimension of the relationship between freedom and equality,that is,freedom and equality are compatible.Specifically,in Cohen’s view,the essence of the freedom that Nozick,a libertarian,defends is the formal self ownership,and its scope is defined by the principle of self ownership.By virtue of the three major conditions,namely,the principle of self ownership,everyone’s access to original resources and rule of possession,Nozick deduces that self-ownership will inevitably lead to inequality,that is,freedom and equality are Incompatible.Cohen does not think that freedom and equality are incompatible.On the basis of criticizing Nozick,he demonstrates the compatibility of freedom and equality from two aspects.On the one hand,on the premise of affirming the principle of self ownership,he demonstrates the compatibility of formal freedom,that is,formal self-ownership and equality,by refuting the rules of possession and constructing the economic structure of common ownership of world resources.On the other hand,he argues that substantive freedom,that is,autonomy and equality,are compatible by rejecting complete self-ownership.Secondly,by criticizing Berlin’s thought of the relationship between money and freedom,Cohen reveals the second dimension of the relationship between freedom and equality,that is,freedom requires equality.Berlin always insists that the lack of money is only the lack of conditions for the use of freedom,not the lack of freedom itself.According to Cohen,in a money society,money is not just a condition for the use of freedom,because money can eliminate interference and bring freedom.Cohen’s argument is to show that the realization of freedom needs a certain material basis,in other words,the acquisition of freedom depends on the redistribution of egalitarianism.It is in this sense that he insists freedom needs equality.As a starting point,Cohen also carries out a theoretical discussion on the realization path of freedom and equality.Finally,it is necessary to examine the gains and losses of Cohen’s thought of the relationship between freedom and equality from Marx’s perspective.On the whole,although Cohen’s theory does have some limitations,which is manifested in his abandonment of Marx’s Thought on the realization path of freedom and equality,this can not eliminate the development of Cohen’s theory on the relationship between freedom and equality of traditional Marxism,which is reflected in his innovation in research methods and research paradigms.These precious spiritual wealth and ideological resources can provide useful guidance for China to carry out the great practice of implementing substantive freedom and equality in the new era,so as to meet the people’s needs for a better life.