An Analysis Of Kai Nielsen’s Critism Of Rawls’ And Nozick’s View Of Justice

The justice theory of liberalism has been newly developed through the argument represented by John Rawls and Robert Nozick,which has provided a new defense for capitalism and triggered a discussion on justice.In order to criticize the capitalist system,since the 1980 s,the research direction of analytical Marxism has gradually shifted from the proposition of ‘necessity’to the proposition of "ought to be",discriminiting and defending Marxist theory,criticizing the justice theory of neo-liberalism,and exploring the connotation of socialism.Kai Nielsen,a representative of Western Leftists,an Analytical Marxist and former president of the Canadian philosophy society,adheres to Marxism and criticizes Rawls’ and Nozick’s points on justice by using the method of class analysis and wide reflection equilibrium: Facing Rawls’ justice viewpoint,Nielsen criticizes Rawls’ " difference principle" as actually unequal,and explores the possibility of a classless society;Facing Nozick’s view of justice,Nielsen criticizes that the entitlement theory is actually a narrow property theory,and proves that liberty should be based on equality.At the same time,Nielsen tried to build a socialist blueprint of "radical egalitarianism" that provides equal conditions for everyone’s development according to the requirements of "distribution according to needs",and discussed the core content and realizability of radical egalitarianism,trying to prove that socialism is superior to capitalism.But,Nielsen’s criticism has the limitation that there are some problems in his research method in the process of concrete discussion,and his view of justice also has a utopian tendency because of overemphasis on absolute equality.Kai Nielsen ’s criticism of the liberalism concept of justice,on the one hand,highlights the fundamental differences between Marxism and liberalism,responding to the challenge of Neo-Liberalism to Marxism,and provides a new research paradigm and knowledge resources for Marxist research.On the other hand,as the most beautiful pursuit of human beings,real equality and freedom can be achieved through the Marxism and for which all mankind can make unremitting efforts.