Liberalism and Socialism: Allies or Opponents?

"Marxists often view figures such as Rawls as apologists for the status quo, while many liberals associate Marx with political positions that have too often practiced oppression while preaching emancipation. Nevertheless, the canonical representatives of these two traditions have more in common than commentators generally realize. Perhaps most significantly, we suggest that Rawls himself, who worked hard to place his own thinking in the history of political philosophy, also misunderstood his relationship to Marx's views, and came to overestimate the scope of their disagreements."

"In our recent paper on the relationship of liberalism and socialism, we sought to make progress on these questions by examining the encounter between two canonical representatives of these two traditions: Karl Marx and John Rawls. There is often a strong degree of mutual hostility between the partisans of each thinker. Marxists often view figures such as Rawls as apologists for the status quo, while many liberals associate Marx with political positions that have too often practiced oppression while preaching emancipation."

Zohran Mamdani’s 2025 mayoral victory brought democratic socialism into prominent political debate. Mamdani identifies his outlook as democratic socialism and attracted supporters from liberal constituencies while facing intense opposition from defenders of the political center. Fundamental questions arise about the relationship between liberalism and socialism and whether they are opponents or potential allies against injustice. Karl Marx and John Rawls serve as canonical representatives of their traditions. Mutual hostility often marks partisanship: Marxists portray Rawls as apologist for the status quo, while many liberals associate Marx with oppressive political practices. Significant commonalities exist, and Rawls likely misjudged the extent of his disagreements with Marx. The analysis compares three points, beginning with limits of liberal rights.

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