The Justification for Socialism

Public Domain Vectors, accessed 12/18/2017

It stands to reason that there needs to be some kind of moral justification for a person's ideological background and perspective on life, the universe, and everything.  Spreading ideas and concepts is a job that is deeply enmeshed with in values and normative perspective on the world.  Without a justification for something that is new on the grounds of either socially perceived fairness, and/or effectiveness, it is hard to justify and bring about the change in society that is needed and wanted by most, if not all, members of a human society.  Therefore, this post hopes to give a justification for Socialism as a framework for perceiving and interacting with the world that is superior to Capitalism.

Before I get to the justification, I need to define two terms.  Without this definition of terms, it is very hard to argue what needs changing, and what the alternative idea(s) are.  I've added a second definition of Capitalism, as I've done with Socialism.  This second definition aims at the psychology that's behind the ideology.  With this in mind, I define Socialism as follows: 

1.  An economic system where ownership of companies and the means of production is shared among those who work for the compan(ies).
2. A means of perceiving and working with the outside world that seeks pro-social, and collectively desirable outcomes for all people indiscriminate of race, religion, sex, gender, sexuality, and any other potential perceived difference we may invent later on or already have. 

I've already defined Capitalism's first, systemic nature in a previous post.  It is as follows (for consistency's sake), and is followed by my psychological definition of Capitalism:

1. An economic system where an individual or minority group owns the means of economic production for the purpose of maximizing financial revenue and minimizing financial costs for that individual or minority group by any means necessary.
2. A means of  perceiving and working with the outside work that seeks the betterment of the small self without much regard or concern for the larger self that exists outside and around that individual or group of individuals.

With these definitions in mind, I will give my justification for Socialism over Capitalism.  I will start by discussing the morality of the former over the latter, before diving into the effectiveness question.  My justification for Socialism on moral grounds is as follows:

"We, as a social unit, produced the wealth and world in which we live. We, as people who are co-creators of reality and quality of life, deserve a more equitable (although not always equal) share of the economic, social, and political pies. Especial attention should be paid to those demographic groups who are traditionally not present in the public eye and world (the poor, ethnic and racial minorities, women, and LGBTQA. Ownership of society's products and wealth should go to the society and each of us, not just a few who think they "own" everything."

In short, Socialism as a system aims to decentralize wealth that could not have been produced without the work of employees and other people besides an entrepreneur, CEO, or shareholder. To say that "I built that" when you didn't is the supreme manifestation of ego and inconsideration for others that is at the root of my definition of Capitalism's psychology. It should be noted that this argument only centers on normative values. However, I believe that these chosen and intuitively graspable normative values can produce societies more powerful, efficient, and overall better off than those who don't acknowledge and grasp these values. In short, Socialism's second definition is one way that the system ends up being superior to Capitalism and Capitalist societies. Socialism's and Socialist's tendency to intelligent sharing behavior, inclusion, and a desire to consider, know, and exist with others works better than the more small-selfish Capitalist mentality. I may go as far as to hypothesize that most humans are soft-wired to be Socialists from young ages, and can be nourished as such into future generations. The group becomes stronger when there is equity, unity, and accountability for the powerful, and is weaker when the anti-social are permitted to roam and exist unchecked and unchallenged from young ages through to adulthood. Socialism's ace-in-the-hole is that Capitalism, and Capitalist individuals erode themselves over the long arc of time, and then fail to successfully, effectively, or positively reproduce those societies into the future.

Therefore, next time someone criticizes Socialism, or points to countries that label themselves as "Socialist" without defining terms or examining the institutional structure and logic that is usually in play in those failed states, remember, that we are better because we are kinder and less willing to take on the mantle of central authority or small-selfish "ownership".  It is through kindness, competence, effectiveness, and outcomes from your actions that produce the better world to live in on this plane of existence.  Don't be bogged down by people who can't or won't treat you well when they have power, and make sure you never surrender your right to hold them accountable for their choices when they make real mistakes.