Theoretical tools for the study of merit as a form of legitimising political inequalities: the manual and intellectual difference in the division of labour and the distinction between capital and resource
Abstract
This article analyses two relevant theoretical tools for studying the function of merit as a device for legitimising political inequalities: a democratic critique of the manual/intellectual difference in the social division of labour and the distinction between capital and resource. To do so, it discusses Marx's and Durhkeim's positions on the social division of labour and specifies how this is concretised in the manual/intellectual difference, drawing on Étienne Balibar. Subsequently, José Luis Moreno Pestaña's distinction between capital and resource is presented in order to address how this logic is reproduced in the political field today, exemplified by references to Rawls and Lenin. Finally, it concludes by proposing two ways of democratising the manual/intellectual difference in current politics.
Downloads
Article download
Crossmark
License
In order to support the global exchange of knowledge, the journal Res Publica. Revista de Historia de las Ideas Políticas is allowing unrestricted access to its content as from its publication in this electronic edition, and as such it is an open-access journal. The originals published in this journal are the property of the Complutense University of Madrid and any reproduction thereof in full or in part must cite the source. All content is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 use and distribution licence (CC BY 4.0). This circumstance must be expressly stated in these terms where necessary. You can view the summary and the complete legal text of the licence.
