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Why Socialists Should be Republicans

Allen Öhnström, Anthony LU (2025) FPRM02 20242
Department of Philosophy
Abstract
According to Jan Kandiyai (2020), socialists should not make the republican understanding of freedom as non-domination central to their political theory. He argues that although co-called socialist republicans can successfully criticise the market economy for enabling employers to impose their wills upon workers, they are less successful when considering its structural and impersonal mechanisms. That is, he does not think that unfreedom resulting from (i) a lack of access to productive assets or (ii) choices being dictated by the internal logic of the market should be understood as forms of domination. Kandiyali’s point being that these two forms of market unfreedom are not agential in the specific way that socialist republicans, given... (More)
According to Jan Kandiyai (2020), socialists should not make the republican understanding of freedom as non-domination central to their political theory. He argues that although co-called socialist republicans can successfully criticise the market economy for enabling employers to impose their wills upon workers, they are less successful when considering its structural and impersonal mechanisms. That is, he does not think that unfreedom resulting from (i) a lack of access to productive assets or (ii) choices being dictated by the internal logic of the market should be understood as forms of domination. Kandiyali’s point being that these two forms of market unfreedom are not agential in the specific way that socialist republicans, given their approach to freedom, must assume them to be. This paper responds that non-domination is, against Kandiyali’s claims to the contrary, uniquely useful for analysing structural and impersonal forms of market unfreedom; doing so by stressing the quintessentially political nature of this concept. As it pertains to structural market unfreedom, it argues that the lack of access that workers have to productive assets depends upon public officials – acting as agents – passing and enforcing private property laws. As it pertains to impersonal market unfreedom, it argues that market competition is reproduced by police forces – understood as group agents – imposing their wills upon workers. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Allen Öhnström, Anthony LU
supervisor
organization
alternative title
Varför Socialister Borde vara Republikaner
course
FPRM02 20242
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Socialism, Republicanism, Neo-republicanism, Socialist-republicanism, Freedom, Domination, Politics, Economy, Power
language
English
id
9191771
date added to LUP
2025-09-29 16:03:56
date last changed
2025-09-29 16:03:56
@misc{9191771,
  abstract     = {{According to Jan Kandiyai (2020), socialists should not make the republican understanding of freedom as non-domination central to their political theory. He argues that although co-called socialist republicans can successfully criticise the market economy for enabling employers to impose their wills upon workers, they are less successful when considering its structural and impersonal mechanisms. That is, he does not think that unfreedom resulting from (i) a lack of access to productive assets or (ii) choices being dictated by the internal logic of the market should be understood as forms of domination. Kandiyali’s point being that these two forms of market unfreedom are not agential in the specific way that socialist republicans, given their approach to freedom, must assume them to be. This paper responds that non-domination is, against Kandiyali’s claims to the contrary, uniquely useful for analysing structural and impersonal forms of market unfreedom; doing so by stressing the quintessentially political nature of this concept. As it pertains to structural market unfreedom, it argues that the lack of access that workers have to productive assets depends upon public officials – acting as agents – passing and enforcing private property laws. As it pertains to impersonal market unfreedom, it argues that market competition is reproduced by police forces – understood as group agents – imposing their wills upon workers.}},
  author       = {{Allen Öhnström, Anthony}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Why Socialists Should be Republicans}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}