There is a lot of confusion and misunderstanding about what “socialism” means, particularly among Americans, who generally have no direct experience even with the faint echo of it that can be discerned in European-style social democracy. (See Charles Rachlis’s post “Why do Americans Hate Socialism?” and the comments on it.) And even people who have studied political science or have experience in anti-capitalist political movements may define it differently. I want to lay out here an outline of what I mean by the term, so I can refer back to it as I continue to discuss related issues. (For another, more extended effort at defining the term, with which I basically agree, see the article “Socialism: What It Is - What It Is Not” that is linked under the Marxism menu on this site.)

I do not pretend that my definition is complete, definitive, or even correct. I just want people who read this and future blog entries to be clear on what I mean by the term. Also, I want to be clear that in defining the term, I am deliberately and consciously avoiding – for the moment – any discussion of whether it is a realistic possibility, or how we could get there from here. Those are much harder questions; I want to start with the easier ones first.

It may not be necessary to do this for the OS audience (with the exception of one-shot poster funkyhut), but I do want to get one misconception out of the way right at the start. Socialism, as I use the term, is not what existed in Soviet Russia, even before Stalin, or in China, even under Mao (nor, for that matter, is communism). Socialism is not the same as the “social-democratic” capitalism that exists in Scandinavia and some other parts of Europe today. However the actual nature of those societies may be characterized (which is also a harder question), none of them conforms to the definition of socialism that I want to use.

 Socialism is not a political system, it is an economic one. However, in the sense that I use the term, socialism is compatible only with a democratic political system – that is, one in which choices about policy, and about the leaders who will administer its implementation, are made by the people themselves. No totalitarian or autocratic system, like Stalin’s USSR or Mao’s China, can be considered socialist. (By the same token, I might add, no capitalist system can by considered genuinely democratic!)

Socialism, as I envision it, is an economic system under which all natural resources, as well as all means of producing goods and commodities (above the scale of individual artisanship), and of organizing the delivery of services, would be owned and managed by a democratically-run government for the benefit of the society as a whole. The government, in turn, would take full responsibility for meeting everyone’s fundamental needs – food, clothing, shelter, health care, education, transportation, a healthy ecosystem, access to cultural and recreational resources – at the highest level possible.

Rational planning, not competition for profit, would drive the allocation of resources, with the goal of meeting the needs of society as a whole. Maximum use of technology – intelligently designed and environmentally sustainable – would ensure that human drudgery could be continually reduced over time. Advances in productivity would be used to reduce the length of the work week and raise the standard of living for everyone, not to enrich a small elite.

Under this system, everyone would enjoy an equally decent standard of living, and an equal opportunity to enjoy the richness of life. In exchange, people would understand that everyone who is able to do so must work, but education, technology, humanely and democratically operated workplaces, a shorter work week, and an emphasis on cooperation would combine to make work a more rewarding, less stressful experience, so that few people would be reluctant to make their appropriate contribution to society in this way.

Maximum consideration would be given to finding work that fits the individual’s talents and preferences. To the extent that jobs involving drudgery, danger, and/or difficult working conditions remained necessary, they would be filled on a voluntary basis, using incentives such as extra time off and early retirement to recruit for them. Those with unusual talents, energies, or skills would be encouraged to use them to the fullest extent,  for the benefit of society. Extraordinary contributions would be rewarded through public recognition, allocation of resources for additional projects, and the satisfaction inherent in the work itself, rather than through money or material privileges.

Parents of children below school age would be able to choose freely how much time they wanted to spend at home with their children, and how much they wanted to work, with the support of free, high-quality professional childcare. Those unable to work full-time, or at all, due to illness or physical or mental disability, would be treated with dignity and provided with all the necessities of life, including suitable opportunities for recreation and cultural enrichment. Behavior that victimizes other people or the society would be handled not through punitive measures such as incarceration, but by determining and addressing its underlying cause.

Education would be free at all levels, throughout a person’s lifetime. Primary education would be structured so as to inculcate the young with critical thinking skills; intellectual curiosity and independence; a sense of responsibility to those around them and to society as a whole; and a preference for accomplishing mutual goals through cooperation over striving for individual glory through competition.

All objects of great cultural significance would be housed in museums open to all, rather than displayed privately in the homes of the wealthy. Goods whose scarcity is intrinsic and/or cannot be reduced (such as access to uncrowded wilderness, or tickets to a cultural performance) would be allocated fairly, such as by waiting list or lottery, rather than through money and social privilege.

There’s more, but I think this covers the basics. Again, I stress that this post does not cover the questions of whether this is feasible, or how we can get there from here.

Thanks to anyone who has managed to read through this whole thing! I welcome your comments.