Human Nature:
- An optimistic view of human nature, seen as a progressive ideology
- Individuals are naturally cooperative, generous and altruistic.
- Human beings should naturally claim solidarity, fraternity and comradeship. “no man is an island” – John Donne
- Mankind’s true nature has been diluted by time and circumstance
- Socialists are optimistic about how it could be
- Human nature is malleable and human nature can be adjusted
- How can human nature be improved and how will mankind realise change is needed?
- Fraternity & Cooperation: Socialism’s belief that the relationship between human beings should be marked by generosity, warmth and comradeship. We should regard our fellow human beings as siblings rather than opponents and that cooperation and solidarity rather than competition and division should be the norm in human affairs.
- Not just society acting upon you, but you can act upon society.
- People can change
Society:
Social
Environment:
- Focuses on the individual’s social environment; the individual's society
- Individuals are the product of society into which they are born.
- Liberals tend to see society as the sum of autonomous individuals.
- Socialists will argue that society determines you.
- An independent construct formed by impersonal forces which shape the individuals
- Thinkers like Marx and Engels thought that the forces were primarily economic with the ‘means of production’ – the way society resources are determined and distributed have a crucial impact upon the nature of society and also human nature.
- They do not believe what classical liberals think, how individuals are ‘masters of their own destiny’ it will depend on the nature of society.
- In order to determine society for the future, we must prescribe today’s society and we must also see the importance of Class, Marx and Engels.
Class/Class
Politics:
- Class: Central to socialism, defines individuals circumstances, prospects and attitudes. Middle class/working class/blue & white collar denote a certain type of employment.
- According to socialism, the class is central to determines an individuals fate.
- Rejects liberalisms view that humans are autonomous.
- Socialists argue that individuals, priorities are shaped by the social class they are born into.
- Marx & Engels: Individuals social class is determined by their status in societies economy.
- Classes tend to be profoundly unequal in terms of power and influence e.g working class earn less.
- Some section of societies will have more opportunities to exploit their potential than individuals in other societies
- A unique view of equality.
Equality
Of Outcome/Social Justice:
- Belief in equality of outcome within society, greater similarities between people’s materials resources and circumstances
- Social Justice: Legal + formal justice is not enough to guarantee equality of outcome. Must be accompanied by social justice e.g healthcare and education for all, usually leading to collectivism
- Narrowing the gap between the rich and poor classes
- Inequality of outcome in one generation will produce inequality of opportunity in the next generation. Until we get this, foundational equality will never happen
- John Rawls may argue that it is never possible to improve the condition of the poorest
- Socialists claim that until there is narrowing the gap, society will continue to lack fraternity, cooperation and solidarity and will instead foster greed, resentment and division. How is this done? Through socialists economic perspectives.