ABSTRACT
This chapter turns to Marxist ethics to explore a firm foundation for rhetorical commitment amidst the conflicts, chaos, and high stakes of the Trumpian era. Marxist ethics doesn’t prescribe certainties, reverting to positivist universals. It also does not give into postmodern denials of any foundation for judging the justice of one claim over another. What Marxist ethics provides instead is both clarity of perspective and a compass for navigating the twisting, sometimes treacherous terrain of daily social and political life. By extending such ethical questions as In what world shall we live? and How do we get there? with according to whom? and in whose interests? the Marxist ethical compass provides at any given moment a place to stand, a place from which to gain one’s bearing.
