Socialism- Human Nature

Question 1

What do socialists agree on about human nature

Answer 1

They all share a positive view- we are naturally capable of being sociable and fraternal, seeking strong bonds and comradeship

It is still somewhat socially determined- the right conditions are needed for humans to express their natural preference for co-op

Question 2

What did revolutionary socialists like Marx and Luxembourg think of human nature

Answer 2

They argued that human nature, originally altruistic and fraternal, has been contaminated by capitalism and the installation of the “false consciousness” of bourgeois values. Capitalism alienates us from our “species essence”, preventing us from working together creatively, toward something to be proud of. We live in an un natural way competing against each other

Question 3

What did evolutionary socialists like Webb say about human nature

Answer 3

Agreed that humans are naturally good, and that capitalism corrupts human nature. However, unlike Marx, believed that the human psyche will be compounded only by violent revolution. People were already showing their preference for collective action by establishing co-op communities

Question 4

What did SDs like Crossland think about human nature

Answer 4

Human nature has a powerful sense of ‘fairness’ and an innate objection to huge inequalities of outcome

Question 5

What do 3rd way socialists think of human nature

Answer 5

Unlike Marx, giddens argues that the pro-fairness instincts of human nature can still prosper under capitalism, but now operate alongside a sharpened sense of individual aspiration.