Reconstructing freedom

Type Thesis

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Summary

In this project I develop two concepts intended to be of use to those who wish to transform capitalist social arrangements: the concept of freedom as growth and the closely related concept of educative solidarity. Central to both concepts is not just opposition to capital but also an orientation to diversity. With both concepts I mean to stress the importance of interacting with diverse others if we are to overcome the obstacles posed by capital to our democratically producing conditions conducive to the increased freedom that comes with the growth of human capacities. I develop these concepts in part by criticizing and reconstructing three concepts of freedom that reinforce capitalist social arrangements: freedom as self-ownership, freedom as consumption, and freedom as hip rebellion. In the project's final two chapters, I discuss what it might look like to put the concept of educative solidarity into practice, and I speculate on the task of reconstructing freedom not just within the U.S. but also on the international level.