Work

Solidarity and Contractualist Justice

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Solidarity has recently become an object of increasing attention after a long period of relative neglect. One area that still remains relatively undertheorized is the value of solidarity and its place in our moral-political thinking. According to Axel Honneth, the contractualist understanding of justice neglects the value of solidarity and should therefore be rejected. The paper discusses this charge. Negatively, it is argued that the contractualist understanding of justice does indeed fail to account for the value of solidarity. Positively, I provide a tentative sketch of how one might supplement contractualist justice with a view to solidarity rather than abandoning that understanding of justice. Overall, the paper aims to clarify and contribute to vindicating solidarity as a political value.

Source: Moral Philosophy and Politics

DOI: 10.1515/mopp-2026-0002

Author: Vegard Stensen

Institution: University of Inland Norway

Language: English

Topic: Political Philosophy and Ethics

Subfield: Political Science and International Relations

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $2,712