Table 5.

Six Axioms by Boltanski and Thévenot (2006: 74–77), applied to the Socialism OW

Axioms	Socialism OW
Principle of common humanity [a1]
Members of a polity who are capable of identifying with and reaching an agreement about a common definition of humanity (presupposition excludes slaves and subhumans)	‘Common welfare’ is based on the communal and reciprocal ‘solidaristic’ assurance of safety and quality of life when there is contingent loss of health (e.g., due to an accident), subsistence (e.g., food) and work (e.g., retirement)
Principle of differentiation [a2]
Polity members have at least two possible states of existence that preserve personal particularities and may have as many states as the number of existing people	The possible states are situated on a continuum between ‘solidarity’ and indifference. According to Rosanvallon (2013: 260), the singularity of an individual is constituted by diversity, the difference in relation to other singularities. The diversity of ‘solidaristic singularities’ supports ‘equality,’ which is based on a democratic and reciprocal recognition of the other
Common dignity [a3]
All members of a polity have potentially identical power to access all the different states of the multistate humanity	A common welfare system consists of singularities who provide for the means of welfare support and those who benefit from it. Ideally, singularities first provide for and then benefit from welfare (e.g., work and unemployment benefits). However, access to the different states in the common welfare system might be limited due to unfortunate circumstances (e.g., an accident)
Order of worth [a4]
Compromises, disputes, disagreements and justification are necessary to achieve a ranking of polities that express a range of values (e.g., for the common good)	Need is the worth creating the order of ‘common welfare’. Communal and reciprocal singularities are morally required to balance their personal needs with those of others through ‘solidarity’. According to the subsidiarity principle, the State is supposed to define legal procedures to prevent fraud by members of the polity who are either non- ‘solidaristic’ or overly dependent
Investment formula [a5]
Human beings with equal power to access all states (when a higher state equates to a greater degree of happiness) have to balance the benefits against the costs or sacrifices made to access higher and lower states	The investment formula of singularities in the higher states is based on the calculation that it could be me in need of ‘common welfare’ sometime in the unknown future. The communal investment formula is based on the political economy of a singularities’ potentially not being able to provide for welfare needs. The investment formula of the lower states is based on a singularities’ potential to avoid common welfare as far as possible
Common good [a6]
This states that a good or happiness correlates to the higher or lower rank of a state and is not beneficial in a similar way to all members of a polity	The paradox of solidaristic common ‘welfare’ is, in the highest state, the willingness to contribute to it and at the same time hope not to be in need of it. In contrast to this highest state, the lowest state is defined by the paradox of being unwilling to contribute but knowing that common ‘welfare’ is a safety net to rescue a singularity in need