Philosophy of Globalization

Franz-J. Heilgendorff

Conceptualizing Capitalist Globalization

Franz-J. Heilgendorff, Technische Universität Dresden (TUD)

Abstract: The philosophical theory of globalization is predominantly comprised of a critique of modern globalization, which is based on a theory of equal distribution of goods and guided by universal ethical principles. I argue that philosophical ethics cannot approach the problem in a different way, because of a lacking concept of society. The lack of a theory of society necessitates arguing with universal principles: philosophers focus on poverty and suffering as such, rather than on poverty and suffering generated by the process of globalization. From the perspective of Marx’s critique of political economy, the empirical ...