SOCIALISM ESSAY PLANS - human nature and society Flashcards
HUMAN NATURE
1a - agreement
All socialists see humans as social beings
The natural relationship between individuals is cooperation, rather than competition, because by nature we want to collaborate and competition/excessive individualism forces us to deny our social nature.
They all stress the principle of fraternity - we are all tied together in bonds of common humanity as comrades.
Evolutionary socialist ; Webb - society based on gradually increasing acceptance of collectivism and equality would inevitably lead to consent for ever-increasing levels of socialism as individuals realised their collective nature.
Third Way Giddens = emphasised the importance of communitarianism.
HUMAN NATURE
1b - disagreement
However, socialists disagree on how far to take the focus on cooperation, and concern about competition
Revolutionaries such as Marx and Engels proposed this after the proletarian revolution, there would be the complete abolition of capitalism + private ownership, to establish a communist society based on a classless society.
Modern social democrat Crosland - did not want to abolish capitalism because it provides an important incentive for economic growth produced by capitalism.
Third Way - Giddens went further and proposed to abandon the aim of common ownership, and maintain the productive effectiveness of capitalism, balanced by more emphasis on social justice.
HUMAN NATURE
2a - agreement
All socialists agree that human nature is determined
Socialists see human nature as malleable -
Marx and Engels considered that human nature has been contaminated by competitiveness and class conflict results that results from capitalism.
They proposed a temporary transition period after the proletarian revolution to establish life on a collective basis, which would release humanity’s tendency to have a sense of social being.
Third Way - Giddens recognised that greater emphasis on communitariansim which would heal the New Right’s social divisions created by individualism.
HUMAN NATURE
2b - disagreement
However, they disagree on the room for individual aspiration vs more collective thinking
Third Way - Giddens argues that while we have instincts of pro-fairness, we still have individual aspiration, which means that we still respond to some material incentives as found in private enterprise.
Social democrat Crosland suggested implementing collectivism in communist states showed that this does not create individual freedom, but seems to show that some more space needs to be left for some individual aspiration.
Marx and Engels believe this to be false class consciousness - resulting from dominant attitudes in our bourgeois dominated state, which essentially denies our social nature.
Fundamentalist socialists argue that humans can respond positively to our moral incentives of a socialist society without needing capitalist emphasis on individually differentiated financial incentives.
SOCIETY
1a - agreement
Society is a crucial determinant of our personalities
All socialists agree that because human nature is malleable, society has a large influence in determining the character of individuals in society. It is possible to move away from greed, envy, and resentment, and division of current society towards greater fraternity, cooperation, and solidarity.
Revolutionary Marx and Democratic socialist Webb believed that current society believed that capitalism has imposed values of individual interest, which has created conflict.
Third Way Giddens believed that excessively individual values of the Thatcherite period of neoliberalism has created large social disadvantage for many.
SOCIETY
1b - disagreement
Achieving equality of outcome VS equality of opportunity
Revolutionaries, Marx and Engels believe that common ownership of material resources was essential to create absolute equality of outcome and end class conflict.
Modern social democrats like Crosland, saw the need for relative equality of outcome through redistribution policies by enhanced state welfare
