Rekonstrukcja demokracji jako warunek ograniczenia wyzysku — próba teoretycznego ujęcia
Reconstruction of democracy as a condition for the limitation of exploitation: an attempt at some theoretical discussion

Summary/Abstract: The modern notion of economic exploitation entails three basic problems. First of all, there exist no established, rigorous definition of the notion, no clearly defined theoretical interpretation, and the theoretical and empirical utility of Marx’s value theory, the sources of exploitation and its subject is doubtful in this respect. Second of all, the ethical dimension of exploitation is in itself problematic. In this respect, the following questions deserve to be answered: Why should exploitation be condemned? What does the statement about the injustice of exploitation actually mean? And finally, how should such injustice be limited? These answers are sought on the grounds of normative political philosophy, usually in the context of the distributive justice theory for which the question of exploitation is not a predominant theme. Thirdly, the political dimension of the modern understanding of economic exploitation needs to be highlighted. In the latter case, one may observe some specific redefinition of economic exploitation which is focused on mechanisms of (re)distribution of power within the democratic order and which draws attention to the structure of power and subordination. In a wider perspective, the whole problem pertains to the quality of modern democratic mechanism and their proposed enhancements. Two possible ways of exploitation limitation may be discerned in researchers’ deliberations: a more profound democratization of the mechanisms of social life, including economic life (theory of democracy and the concepts of market socialism) on the one hand and the construction of more equitable rules of distribution (egalitarian theory of distributive justice) on the other. This paper focuses on the first of these two options, and includes also conceptual disputes related to economic exploitation and its political redefinition.

• Details
• Contents