Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to demonstrate how a socialist communitarian ethic, rather than a Western capitalist market ethic, provides the necessary foundations for the existence of democracy, freedom and equality, in contemporary society. In order to show this, I will use as my primary texts Karl Polanyi's The Great Transformation and Michael Walzer's Spheres of Justice. Taken together, these two books provide a rich backdrop against which democracy can be defended. Although Polanyi and Walzer reflect two quite different approaches and attitudes to questions concerning social and political philosophy, I will argue that Polanyi's version of socialism and Walzer's theory of communitarianism are not irreconcilable. When amalgamated, these two theories can be made into a solid socialist communitarian ethic that provides the necessary foundations for democracy.