Introduction
Moral obligation to recognize other human subjects, as it is described by Christine Korsgaard, is a complex phenomenon, depending on the proper balance of thought and action. The thinker highlights the need for including numerous components in the analysis of situations when guidance for people can be clearly seen. The presented approach is partially aligned with the teachings of Karl Marx, who narrates about societal struggles in terms of classes and privileges. The linking elements, in this case, are presented by the connection between self and others, and its patterns can be examined through the lens of the two philosophers. Therefore, the moral approach to the awareness of other people can be advanced by relying on the considerations expressed by Christine Korsgaard and critical social theory developed by Karl Marx.
Christine Korsgaard
The moral recognition of the Other, as per the philosophical thought of Christine Korsgaard, is based on human nature rather than solely on any external laws. From this perspective, the process is mutual since “all rational beings could agree ot act on together in a workable cooperative system” (Korsgaard 1996a, p. 99). This stance implies the autonomy of individuals, which is guided by self-interest alongside normativity because one’s desires and actions are the causes of all attitudes towards other people. The claim of the interrelation between moral obligations and personal motives is supported by the fact that the inherent value of human interactions is the reason why this connection appears in the first place (Korsgaard 1996a, p. 91). In addition, the awareness of the patterns of mental activity, which is impossible to achieve, contributes to the necessity of viewing the existing norms through the lens of communication between people (Korsgaard 1996a, p. 91). In other words, one recognizes the Other by relying on a combination of so-called societal laws and consciousness attributed to humans.
The idea of the existence of autonomy alongside cooperation in society viewed as a natural outcome of exercising individual will is underpinned by the way thoughts and actions of people come into play. Thus, the “thinking and acting self” represents the freedom of the members of the community to take action with respect to the principles of voluntarism and the authority, serving as “the source of obligation” (Korsgaard 1996a, p. 104). According to the philosopher, morality in taking into account other people when pursuing one’s desires is demonstrated by the coordination of all needs of the participants in the process, which are to be respected (Korsgaard 1996a, p. 95). Therefore, the normative power of obligations is expressed by the mechanism of exercising “practical identity” or, put it another way, complying with the expectation of others (Korsgaard 1996a, p. 101). It means that a person’s roles in life “give rise to reasons and obligations” and thereby are aligned with the value inherent in the fact of being human (Korsgaard 1996a, p. 101). Hence, the aforementioned cooperation of people is performed by their adherence to the moral law, deriving from internal factors.
In addition, the recognition of the Other is explicitly linked to personal interests, whereas they are also seen as the reasons for participation in societal affairs for the collective good. As follows from the works of the thinker under consideration, the normative force regulating relationships stems from the thinking self that “as the power to command the acting self only to do what is good” (Korsgaard 1996b, p. 165). In this case, the link between individual intentions and common benefits discussed above incorporates the concept of freedom as the main condition of acknowledging and respecting others’ presence. The significance of this aspect of the matter is reflected by the statement that “determinism is no threat to freedom,” implying that moral obligations do not conflict with one’s desires and, consequently, actions (Korsgaard 1996a, p. 95). On the contrary, they allow rationalizing the choices made by citizens and predicting their outcomes for society while combining the external and internal circumstances. Thus, it can be concluded that recognizing others from the moral viewpoint is performed by the actions guided by human nature.
Critical Social Theory by Karl Marx
The stance of Christine Korsgaard regarding social interactions and their guiding power leading to acceptance discussed above can be examined through the lens of critical social theory as it was presented by Karl Marx. The thinker emphasized the failure of “a manifold gradation of social rank” to effectively contribute to moral recognition of the Other when neglecting the principles of everyone’s inherent importance for society (Marx 1888, p. 862). In this situation, the resulting oppression is unacceptable for the stated objective, and the philosopher’s discussion of this aspect can be perceived as advancing the recognition of the Other. It is performed by the emphasized requirement for allowing citizens to act in a favorable environment as opposed to “splitting up into two great hostile camps,” bourgeoisie and proletariat (Marx 1888, p. 862). This phenomenon can be viewed as immoral from the standpoint of one’s freedom to implement their will and act in accordance with their desires. In this area, the ideas of Christine Korsgaard and Karl Marx are intertwined, and they complement each other in promoting the acceptance of all people.
Another claim supporting the connection explained above is exploitation typical for the societal order described by Marx. In his work, he writes that individual bourgeois employ improper “instruments of production” in their economic activity, thereby preventing others from achieving wealth (Marx 1888, p. 866). This outcome adds to the opinion of Korsgaard discussed in the previous section, according to which moral obligation is directly related to the necessity to cooperate with one another. Meanwhile, inequality, as per the thinker, disrupts this process by widening the gap between classes, and these results should not be tolerated by laborers (Marx 1888, p. 866). The initially privileged position of some individuals does not improve the performance of tasks for recognizing everyone’s contributions. Hence, this condition advances the claim of individuals’ free will, leading to the prosperity of participants in the matter while emphasizing the importance of fair treatment based on the understanding of moral obligations.
The efforts of Karl Marx to unmask the underlying provisions used as guidance by societal leaders allow increasing the awareness of others’ needs that can be addressed in combination with personal endeavors. According to him, critical social theory is a vital instrument of ensuring that all people have access to resources, allowing them to act on their own while respecting collective goals (Marx 1888, p. 867). The unions of workers, described as significant for improving “means of communication that are created by modern industry,” and the attention to the necessity to avoid competition correlates with respect for everyone (Marx 1888, p. 867). In this situation, moral recognition is possible only if citizens realize the importance of combined efforts, even though the individualistic aspect is neglected by Marx. This fact presents the main difference between Korsgaard’s approach to the challenge and Marx’s orientation on society as a whole rather than its parts. In other words, the cause-and-effect relationships between one’s desires and will and the collective benefits are entirely opposite in the works of these two philosophers. Meanwhile, they still admit that motivation is their principal condition.
Conclusion
In conclusion, moral recognition of the Other is the process directed by the freedom of individuals to follow their desires and take action in this regard. Christine Korsgaard’s claims concerning the importance of personal perspectives are, however, complemented by the inevitable benefits of this phenomenon for others. They are explained by the cooperation between people, which is a natural outcome of implementing any intentions in society. In this way, the value inherent in humans determines their interactions that are advantageous for everyone when combined with the normative regulations of autonomous behavior.
In turn, the relation of these provisions to the works of Karl Marx connected to critical social theory advancing the above ideas is supported by the similarities between his perceptions and those of Christine Korsgaard. They include the inappropriateness of societal divisions with unequal distributions of privileges and the significance of effective communication for the moral recognition of all people. Nevertheless, Marx’s views underpin the thoughts of Korsgaard only to an extent limited to the consideration of the collective benefits. The latter focuses on individualism as the source of all changes in the patterns of citizens’ interactions, thereby restricting the number of common elements to the area of societal affairs. Thus, philosophical discourse recognizing the importance of other human agents in life in practice leads to better cooperation between them.
Works Cited
Korsgaard, Christine. The Authority of Reflection. 1996 [PDF Document].
Korsgaard, Christine. The Origin of Value and the Scope of Obligation. 1996 [PDF Document].
Marx, Karl. Communist Manifesto. 1888 [PDF Document].