Socialism themes

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  • Created by: Z212
  • Created on: 03-11-16 06:46
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  • community
    • humans are social creatures capable of overcoming social and economic problems by drawing on the power of the community rather than individual effort
    • capacity for collective action, a willingness and ability to pursue goals by working together
    • Believe human nature is 'plastic,' shaped by the experiences and conditions of social life
    • Themes of socialism
      • cooperation
        • natural relationship is cooperation rather than competition
          • individuals who work together rather than against each other develop bonds of sympathy, caring, and affection
            • can achieve more together
              • Moral incentive to work harder is the desire to contribute to the common good which develops out of sympathy or sense of responsibility for fellow humans
      • Equality
        • 1.) social equality upholds justice and fairness
          • vast inequality has to do with the unequal structure of society
          • demands peoples be treated equally in society in terms of their rewards and material circumstances
        • 2.) social equality underpins community and cooperation
          • people who live in equal social circumstances will be more likely to identify with one another and work together for the common benefit
        • 3.) need-satisfaction is the basis for human fulfilment and self-realization
          • we naturally share
        • 4.) equality is better for both the rich and poor
          • equal society = less crime, drug taking, fear
      • Class politics
        • viewed social class as the deepest and most politically important of social divisions
        • Marxists: class conflict leads to historical change
        • Marxists: proletariat (live off the sale of their labour) v. bourgeoisie (owners of productive wealth); irreconcilable conflict--> leading to the overthrow of capitalism through a proletarian revolution
          • SD: define social class in terms of income and status; middle class and working class
            • advance of socialism is associated with the narrowing of divisions between both classes brought about by economic and social intervention
              • believe in social amelioration and class harmony
          • define social class by the individual's relationship to the means of production i.e. economic power
          • believe in social polarisation and class war
      • Common ownership
        • criticise private property because it's unjust (wealth should be owned by everyone because it's produced collectively), breeds acquisitiveness morally corrupting (encourages people to be materialistic), divisive (fosters conflict in society)
        • Fundamental socialist (Marxists): abolish private ownership
        • SD: nationalise the 'commanding heights'
    • favour nurture argument because they believe each individual has experiences that mould and condition their personaility
    • humans aren't self-contained, they aren't atomised. Humans can only understand themselves and be understood through social groups (e.g. tribes in Africa)

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