Dziecko, kobieta i ubogi – genealogia (neo)liberalnego wykluczenia

Abstract

The text covers the matter of social exclusion understood as limited access to social, political and economical life, and its justification. Its purpose is to face the provocative thesis that the intentional implementation of exclusion can be done on the basis of liberal theories. The source of such actions is the model of the rational individual, on which the liberals based their theory of personal autonomy. The exclusive potential of this concept caused the politics of exclusion applied to children, women and the poor. In children, limiting their personal autonomy was justified by the liberals due to its potential rationality and therefore a temporary inability to make independent decisions and take responsibility for itself. Exclusion practices towards women in early liberal societies are justified by separating the private sphere from the public sphere and liberating the former from any interference. This liberal idea influenced the process of perpetuating the pre-political home authority of men and blocked women’s emancipation for many years. The exclusion of the poor from participating in liberal freedom is caused by the connection between personal autonomy and private property. The liberal guilt in this case is the full awareness of the excluding features of poverty, with strong commitment to political actions, radically increasing the process of countries holding power over the world growing poor.