Situating Idealist-Socialism

This chapter serves as a crucial bridge between contemporary debates and the central focus of the book—working-class alienation. Beginning with an exploration of the diagnosis of alienation, the chapter challenges the latter Marxian notion of exploitation by highlighting the significance of ‘spirit’ in human life. It then delves into the right-communitarian perspective, emphasising structural and cultural decline, and their proposed populist nationalist solution. However, the divergence occurs as the chapter introduces a left-leaning emphasis on nationalism within the progressive multicultural politics, advocating for a comprehensive understanding of the working-class experience. The Idealist and Socialist position is proposed as a means to address alienation, focusing on relationships that form the foundation for a stable and prosperous community. This includes a commitment to opposing capitalism, recognising the dignity of labour, and envisioning an enabling state based on cooperative social federalism.