ABSTRACT
Contemporary political philosophers tend to think of the relation between liberalism and Marxism in terms of the former correcting the deficiencies of the latter, particularly on issues like human rights or the efficiency of the market. The chapter argues that the value of Marx's ideas for contemporary theories of equality. It also argues that Marx and his followers developed a view of equality in terms of human flourishing that is illuminating and compelling. The flourishing approach, because it seeks to make people equal in well-being, focuses on outcomes, on how people live. Marxists refer to the human degradation wrought by capitalism, thus combining in their critique the ideals of both equality and well-being. The idea of 'communist man' suggests that human beings, if they espouse values of fellowship and regard for others, will care about—or come to care about—producing goods because of the intrinsic interest of the work and its contribution to others' well-being.
