Utopian Socialism
"If we lived in a state where virtue was profitable, common sense would make us saintly. But since we see that avarice, anger, pride and stupidity commonly profit far beyond charity, modesty, justice and thought, perhaps we must stand fast a little, even at the risk of being heroes."
Utopian Socialism clipped to UtSoc is an umbrella term for any type of socialism which rejects
Marx's concept of
'scientific socialism' and material dialectic. Utopian Socialism isn't necessarily 'utopian' in the common sense, (although it oftentimes can be), and may involve a varying degree of pessimism about the nature of humanity.
Henri de Saint-Simon,
Charles Fourier,
Robert Owen, and
Pierre-Joseph Proudhon are examples of socialist theorists who were regarded by Marx and Engels as Utopian Socialists.
An instance of Utopian Socialism was that practiced by Robert Owen, who believed in creating Socialism by renting a plentiful area of land to establish said ″socialist utopia″ where everyone can redistribute the means of production in peace through class collabration, including the bourgeoisie who would willingly give up their wealth to live in the utopia.
Variants
Bourgeois Socialism
Bourgeois Socialism or Conservative Socialism was a term used by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in various pieces, including in The Communist Manifesto. Conservative socialism was used as a rebuke by Marx for certain strains of socialism, but it has also been used by proponents of such a system. Bourgeois socialists are described as those that advocate for preserving the existing society using various means to only eliminate perceived evils of the system. Conservative socialism and
right wing socialism are also used as a descriptor, and in some cases as a pejorative, by
free-market conservative and
right-libertarian movements and politicians to describe more
economically interventionist strands of conservatism.
The Marxist view is such that the bourgeois socialist is the sustainer of the current state of bourgeois class relations. In the Principles of Communism Engels describes them as "so-called socialists" who only seek to remove the evils inherent in capitalist society while maintaining the existing society often relying on methods such as
welfare systems and grandiose claims of
social reform. Opinions vary as to whether if bourgeois socialist is actively protecting or intentionally excusing the current order, but the common thread is that they are in objective fact preserving it. Rather than
abolishing class divisions, they wish to simply raise everyone up to be a member of the bourgeoisie to allow everyone the ability to endlessly accumulate capital without a working class. In The Communist Manifesto, Marx and Engels use philanthropists, monks ("temperance fanatics") and reformers as examples of this type of socialist that they saw as opposed to their own aims. In expressing its views on the subject, Marx explicitly referenced
Pierre-Joseph Proudhon's The Philosophy of Poverty, stating the following about bourgeois socialism:
The Socialistic bourgeois want all the advantages of modern social conditions without the struggles and dangers necessarily resulting therefrom.
Bourgeois socialists are considered as working for the enemies of communists by preserving the society that communists seek to overthrow thus Engels claims that communists must continuously struggle against them.
Utopianism (Thomas More)
Utopia is a satirical novel written by Thomas More. It tells a story about an island kingdom named Utopia and its inhabitants. On the island, the towns are made to have roughly equal populations. If any imbalance in population is detected, then the town’s population deviation is spread among the other towns. If there are too many people on the island, then those extra people will have to go to the mainland.
In the novel, people do not use locks for their doors. Additionally, houses are considered to be the common property of everyone in Utopia. In accordance with this belief, every 10 years, the citizens of Utopia rotate the ownership of their homes.
Proudhonism
"Main Article:
Mutualism"
WIP
Fourierism
Fourierism refers to the socio-economic and political philosophy developed by French social thinker and utopian socialist Charles Fourier in the early 19th century. Fourier proposed a system called "harmony" that aimed to create an ideal society based on cooperation, equality, and the satisfaction of human desires.
Fourier believed that the industrial revolution and the prevailing capitalist system led to social inequality, exploitation of workers, and the suppression of individual freedom. He argued that these issues could be resolved through the establishment of intentional communities known as "phalanxes," where individuals would live and work together in harmony.
Key principles of Fourierism include:
- Social Harmony: Fourier believed that society should be organized to satisfy the diverse needs and passions of individuals. He emphasized the importance of social cooperation and the pursuit of collective happiness. Fourier proposed a system where people would engage in a wide range of productive activities, known as "series," based on their interests and abilities.
- Attractive Labor: Fourier emphasized the idea of "attractive labor," where individuals would have the freedom to choose their work based on their passions and preferences. He believed that by aligning work with personal interests, productivity and happiness would increase.
- Phalanxes: Fourier proposed the creation of self-sustaining communities called phalanxes. These phalanxes would consist of around 1,620 people and would be organized around a common goal of economic cooperation and shared resources. Fourier envisioned these communities as places where individuals would live, work, and socialize together, sharing both the labor and the benefits of their collective efforts.
- Phalanstery: Fourier also designed a physical structure called the phalanstery, which would serve as the central building for the phalanx. It would provide housing, communal spaces, and facilities for production, education, and leisure activities. The phalanstery was designed to maximize social interaction and facilitate the harmonious functioning of the community.
Fourier's ideas were influential in the development of utopian socialist thought and influenced later movements, such as early cooperative movements and experiments in communal living. While Fourier's specific vision of phalanxes and phalansteries did not gain widespread acceptance, his ideas contributed to the broader discourse on social and economic reforms.
Tenets
Utopian Socialism usually does not analyse any ways of getting to his goals, or achieving them. Instead, he imagines his idea of a perfect society, usually based on some sense of morality or justice.
Personality
Acts like a hippie. Loves the Beatles, especially John Lennon. Very peaceful and hates conflict.
How to Draw
- Draw a ball
- Color it red
- Draw a yellow circle in the centre
- Slightly off the circumference of the circle, draw 8 yellow wide triangles pointing outward, making the rays of a sun
- Add the eyes and you're done!
Color Name | HEX | RGB | |
---|---|---|---|
Red | #ED1F29 | rgb(237, 31, 41) | |
Yellow | #FFF200 | rgb(255, 242, 0) |
Relationships
Friends
Socialism - My beloved son, though I'm quite scared of most of your more modern children.
Philosophical Anarchism - Godwin was pretty great wasn't he?
Left-Wing Populism - Socialism is great for all of the people, we all should live in harmony together.
Young England - Young England was pretty cool.
Bismarckism - Pretty much my German variant.
Conservative Socialism - My conservative variant. It is totally possible to have conservatism, liberal reformism, and socialism in the same movement!
Chartism - Long live the Chartists!
Abolitionism - Most of my early theorists supported you too!
However the book Utopia had slavery themes.Religious Socialism - Many religions criticize capitalism!
Market Socialism - Owens was really cool.
Syndicalism - Using unionization and strikes to achieve socialism? Based!
Mutualism - My anarchist variant.
Lennonism - Thanks for the great song!
Lassallism - An alliance between workers and aristocrats/the state to beat liberalism to death sounds great.
Social Authoritarianism - A great way to combat individualism and promote the common good.
Frenemies
Yellow Socialism - Compromising with capitalists is great and all but do you have to be so reactionary?
Liberal Socialism - Why do you call me naive and narrow-minded, my son?
Anarcho-Individualism - You are my son through Proudhon, but you are really selfish.
Monarcho-Socialism - You are technically a form of me, but I would rather a republic or commune.
Juche - Same as above. My modern version, but you're really wacky.
Reactionary Socialism - Compromising with the nobility is great, but that's a bit much.
Moderatism - Compromise is good, but why are you so pro-status quo??
Reformist Marxism - Peace and working with all of society is good, but socialism isn't just for the working class.
Third Way - I like how you make socialism appeal to the middle class, but then again, the middle class for you is just a professional and well off working class.
Distributism - Another middle class socialist? Based, wait you aren't a socialist? Why not?
Enemies
Capitalism - Maybe you can just... like, go away?
Marxism - A materialist idiot who tried to discredit me by creating "Scientific Socialism". Also, your way of revolution is just violent and impossible!
Although I rooted for one of yourgrandchildren during the Vietnam War.
Italian Left Communism - Ultra-marxist who never shuts up about the same guy above... my god.
Scientocracy - Ruined socialism.
But Saint-Simon was an intellectualNeoconservatism - Please stop being mean to people for being socialist? Pretty Please?
Classical Liberalism - You've destroyed all of our communities and are so mean, please just go away!
Further Information
Literature
- Utopia by
Thomas Moore
- News from Nowhere by
William Morris
- Manifesto of Democracy by
Victor Prosper Considerant
- Socialism From The Root Up – Chapter 13 – The Utopists: Owen, Saint Simon, and Fourier by
William Morris and E. Belfort Bax
- Utopian Communities, 1800-1890 by Peter N. Herndon
- Utopianism and Intentional Communities by Rhiannon Firth
- Utopian socialism and social science and the reconstruction of society by Antoine Picon
Ecosocialism- Utopian and Scientific by Tim Hayward
- Theories About Sex and Sexuality in Utopian Socialism by Saskia Poldervaart
Saint-Simonianism
French: Lettres d'un habitant de Genève à ses contemporains by Henri de Saint-Simon
French: L'Industrie by Henri de Saint-Simon
French: Le Politique by Henri de Saint-Simon
French: Du système industriel by Henri de Saint-Simon
French: Catéchisme des industriels by Henri de Saint-Simon
French: Nouveau Christianisme by Henri de Saint-Simon
- Letters from an Inhabitant of Geneva to His Contemporaries by Henri de Saint-Simon
- The Political Thought of Saint-Simon edited by Ghița Ionescu
- The Brotherhood of Saint Simon by Theodore Stanton
- Saint Simon and the liberal origins of the socialist critique of Political Economy by Gareth Stedman-Jones
- The Saint-Simonians and the birth of social justice in France by Adrien Lutz
- "To each according to ability": Saint-Simon on equality of opportunity by Luc Bovens
- The Proffereed Pen: Saint-Simonianism and the Public Sphere in 19th Century France by Michael Brick
- The Colonization of Algeria: The Role of Saint-Simonians by Pamela M. Pilbeam
Fourierism
- The Theory of the Four Movements by Charles Fourier
French: Le Nouveau Monde amoureux by Charles Fourier
French: La fausse industrie morcelée, répugnante, mensongère, et l'antidote, l'industrie naturelle, combinée, attrayante, véridique, donnant quadruple produit by Charles Fourier
French: Oeuvres complètes de Charles Fourier by Charles Fourier
- Harmonian Man: Selected Writings of Charles Fourier
- The Utopian Vision of Charles Fourier Selected Texts on Work, Love and Passionate Attraction
- Of the Role of the Passions by Charles Fourier
- Of Education by Charles Fourier
- Universal Harmony by Charles Fourier
- Letter to the High Judge by Charles Fourier
- Indices and Methods which led to the Discovery by Charles Fourier
- Commerce by Charles Fourier
- The Rise of Commerce and the Birth of Political Economy by Charles Fourier
- Fashion and Parasitism by Charles Fourier
- Critique of Economic Liberalism by Charles Fourier
- On ‘Free Exchange’ by Charles Fourier
- On Economic Liberalism by Charles Fourier
- The Vices of Commerce by Charles Fourier
- A Sentimental Bankruptcy by Charles Fourier
- Accusation of the Uncertain Sciences by Charles Fourier
- Critique of the Revolutionary Ideals by Charles Fourier
- Politics and Poverty by Charles Fourier
- The Study of Groups by Charles Fourier
- The Passionate Series by Charles Fourier
- The Establishment of a Trial Phalanx by Charles Fourier
- “The Phalanstery” by Charles Fourier
- An Architectural Innovation: The Street-Gallery by Charles Fourier
- The Phalanx at Dawn by Charles Fourier by Charles Fourier
- Administrative Institutions and Practices by Charles Fourier
- The Exchange by Charles Fourier
- The Phalanx on Parade: Its Sixteen Tribes by Charles Fourier
- Attractive Labour by Charles Fourier
- The Phalanstery by Charles Fourier
- On Trade by Charles Fourier
- On the Hierarchy of Bankruptcy by Charles Fourier
- Fourier and the Fourierists: A Case of Mistaken Identity? by Pamela Pilbeam
- Periodical Utopianism: Charles Fourier, Playboy, and Erotic Serialization by Michael Dango
- Fourier, Marx, and Social Reproduction by Blanca Missé
- A Popular View of the Doctrines of Charles Fourier by Parke Godwin
- Phalanx on a Hill: Responses to Fourierism in the Transcendentalist Circle by William Hall Brock
- The Integration of Fourierism into Brook Farm by Dan Threet
- Fourierism in Britain by Richard K. P. Pankhurst
- The North American Phalanx by Charles Sears
- Silkville: A Kansas Attempt in the History of Fourierist Utopias, 1869-1892 by Garrett R. Carpenter
Owenism
- A New View of Society by Robert Owen
- Observations on the Effect of the Manufacturing System by Robert Owen
- Manifesto of Robert Owen to the Civilized World: A Solution of the Great Problem of the Age by Robert Owen
- Manifesto of Robert Owen : The Discoverer, Founder, and Promulgator, of the Rational System of Society, and of the Rational Religion by Robert Owen
- Letter from Mr. Robert Owen. To the president and members of the New York State Convention, appointed to revise the constitution of the state
- Robert Owen's Opening Speech, and His Reply to the Rev. Alex. Campbell, in the Recent Public Discussion in Cincinnati
- Two Memorials on Behalf of the Working Classes; The First Presented to the Governments of Europe and America, The Second to the Allied Powers Assembled in Congress at Aix-la-Chapelle by Robert Owen
- The Signs of the Times or, The Approach of the Millennium by Robert Owen
- A New View of Society and Other Writings
- Utopian Designs: The Owenite Communities by Ian Donnachie
- Pocket Editions of the New Jerusalem: Owenite Communitarianism in Britain 1825-1855 by John C. Langdon
- Robert Owen and the Owenites: Consumer and Consumption in the New Moral World by Noel Thompson
- Robert Owen: The Father of British Socialism? by Ophélie Siméon
- Robert Owen, Utopian Socialism and Social Transformation by Chris Rogers
- Robert Owen in the History of the Social Sciences: Three Presentist Views by Adomas Puras
- Towards a History of Essential Federalism: Another Look at Owen in America by Carol Weisbrod
- Ralahine: An Irish Owenite Community (1831–1833) by Vincent Geoghegan
Blanquism
- First Proclamation by Louis Auguste Blanqui
- Appeal to the students, December 11, 1830 by Louis Auguste Blanqui
- Reception Procedure of the Society of the Seasons by Louis Auguste Blanqui
- Project for a Revolutionary Proclamation (Call to Arms) by Louis Auguste Blanqui
- Declaration of the Provisional Committee for Schools by Louis Auguste Blanqui
French: Lettre de Blanqui, probablement écrite en prison – 1831 by Louis Auguste Blanqui
- Speech before the Society of the Friends of the People by Louis Auguste Blanqui
- Defence Speech at the 'Trial of the Fifteen', 12 January 1832 by Louis Auguste Blanqui
French: Rapport sur la situation intérieure et extérieure de la France depuis la révolution de juillet (Discours prononcé à la séance du 2 février 1832 de la Société des Amis du Peuple) by Louis Auguste Blanqui
- Democratic Propaganda by Louis Auguste Blanqui
- Organization of the Society of Families by Louis Auguste Blanqui
- First issue of “Le Libérateur” by Louis Auguste Blanqui
- Social Wealth Must Belong to Those Who Created It (Le Libérateur no. 2, February 1834) by Louis Auguste Blanqui
- Who Makes the Soup Should Eat It by Louis Auguste Blanqui
- Blanqui’s Notes for his Defence at the ‘Gunpowder Trial’ (October 1836) by Louis Auguste Blanqui
- Initiation ceremony of the Society of the Seasons by Louis Auguste Blanqui
- Appeal of the Committee of the Society of the Seasons by Louis Auguste Blanqui
- Speech at the Prado (25 February 1848) by Louis Auguste Blanqui
- For the Red Flag by Louis Auguste Blanqui
- Second Petition for the Postponing of Elections by Louis Auguste Blanqui
- To The Democratic Clubs of Paris by Louis Auguste Blanqui
- Address of Central Republican Society to the Government by Louis Auguste Blanqui
- Address to the Provisional Government (20 April 1848) by Louis Auguste Blanqui
- Central Republican Society to the Provisional Government by Louis Auguste Blanqui
- The Massacre in Rouen: The Central Republican Society to the Provisional Government by Louis Auguste Blanqui
- Parisians! by Louis Auguste Blanqui
- Response to the Tascherau Document by Louis Auguste Blanqui
- The Union of True Democrats (November 1848) by Louis Auguste Blanqui
- Response to the Request for a Toast for a Workers’ Banquet (November 1848) by Louis Auguste Blanqui
- To the Mountain of 1793! To the Pure Socialists, its True Heirs! (3 December 1848) by Louis Auguste Blanqui
French: Les Accusés du 15 mai 1848 devant la Haute Cour de Bourges — Compte rendu exact de toutes les séances avec les incidents. by Louis Auguste Blanqui
- On Revolution by Louis Auguste Blanqui
- Warning to the People (The London Toast — February 25, 1851) by Louis Auguste Blanqui
- Concerning the Clamour Against the ‘Warning to the People’ (April 1851) by Louis Auguste Blanqui
- Work, Suffer and Die (c.1851-52) by Louis Auguste Blanqui
- Letter from Maillard to Blanqui (Barcelona, 1 April 1852) by Louis Auguste Blanqui
- Letter to Maillard (Belle-Île, 6 June 1852) by Louis Auguste Blanqui
- Letter to Tessy (Belle-Île, 6 September 1852) by Louis Auguste Blanqui
French: Proclamation à l'armée by Louis Auguste Blanqui
- Proclamation of February 20, 1866 by Louis Auguste Blanqui
- Proclamation to Parisians by Louis Auguste Blanqui
- Letter to Blanqui’s supporters in Paris by Louis Auguste Blanqui
- Manual for an Armed Insurrection by Louis Auguste Blanqui
- The Sects and the Revolution by Louis Auguste Blanqui
- Working-Class Exclusivism by Louis Auguste Blanqui
French: Fatal, fatalisme, fatalité by Louis Auguste Blanqui
- Instructions for an Armed Uprising by Louis Auguste Blanqui
- Notes on Positivism by Louis Auguste Blanqui
French: L’usure by Louis Auguste Blanqui
French: Le communisme, avenir de la société by Louis Auguste Blanqui
- One Last Word by Louis Auguste Blanqui
- Eternity by the Stars by Louis Auguste Blanqui
French: Fragments philosophiques et politiques
- The Army Enslaved and Oppressed by Louis Auguste Blanqui
French: L'armée esclave et opprimée by Louis Auguste Blanqui
French: Banquet des Travailleurs socialistes, président: Auguste Blanqui détenu à Vincennes - 1849 (Toast à Blanqui) by Auguste Salières
Bellamyite Movement
- Looking Backward, 2000 to 1887 by Edward Bellamy
- Equality by Edward Bellamy
- With The Eyes Shut by Edward Bellamy
- The Duke of Stockbridge: A Romance of Shays' Rebellion by Edward Bellamy
- Looking Backward: 2000-1887 by Edward Bellamy
- Dr. Heidenhoff's Process by Edward Bellamy
- The Blindman's World by Edward Bellamy
- Miss Ludington's Sister by Edward Bellamy
- Deserted by Edward Bellamy
- To Whom This May Come by Edward Bellamy
- The Cold Snap by Edward Bellamy
- Lost by Edward Bellamy
- Hooking Watermelons by Edward Bellamy
- A Positive Romance by Edward Bellamy
- A Love Story Reversed by Edward Bellamy
- Potts's Painless Cure by Edward Bellamy
- At Pinney's Ranch by Edward Bellamy
- An Echo Of Antietam by Edward Bellamy
- The Old Folks' Party by Edward Bellamy
- A Summer Evening's Dream by Edward Bellamy
- Two Days' Solitary Imprisonment by Edward Bellamy
- The affinities of Richard Rorty and Edward Bellamy by Alan Johnson
- The American Frontier and Edward Bellamy's Utopian Imagination by Yeonsik Jung
Icarianism
French: Voyage en Icarie by Étienne Cabet
- Refutation of the Revue des Deux Mondes by Étienne Cabet
- Icarian Communism, or the Community of Icaria by Étienne Cabet
- The Situation in Iowa by Étienne Cabet
- Icaria: A Chapter in the History of Communism by Albert Shaw
- The Search For Brotherhood, Peace & Justice: The Story of Icaria by Lillian M. Snyder
- Humanistic Values of the Icarian Movement: Proceedings of the Symposium on the "Revelance of the Icarian Movement to Today's World" by Lillian M. Snyder
- Spatial Practices of Icarian Communism by John Derek McCorquindale
- With Verne in Icaria: Two Sources for Robur-le-conquérant by Alex Kirstukas
- The Palimpsest: Icaria and the Icarians by Ruth A. Gallaher
- Icaria: An Aborted Utopia on the Texas Frontier by Donald J. Kagay
- The Icarian Community by Charles Gray
- The death of utopian politics in mid-nineteenthcentury France or what the Icarians can tell us about QAnon, conspiracy, and our political moment by Daniel Sipe
Campanellanism
- The City of the Sun by Tommaso Campanella
- The Sonnets of Michael Angelo Buonarroti and Tommaso Campanella; Now for the First Time Translated into Rhymed English by John Addington Symonds
- The Crescent and the City of the Sun: Islam and the Renaissance Utopia of Tommaso Campanella by Noel Malcolm
Gilletteism
- The Human Drift by King Camp Gillette
- The Ballot Box by King Camp Gillette
- World Corporation by King Camp Gillette
- The People's Corporation by King Camp Gillette
Noyesism
- History of American Socialisms by John Humphrey Noyes
- The Berean: A Manual For The Help Of Those Who Seek The Faith Of The Primitive Church by John Humphrey Noyes
- Salvation from Sin, The End of Christian Faith by John Humphrey Noyes
- Religious experience of John Humphrey Noyes, founder of the Oneida community by George Wallingford Noyes
- Breaching the "Wall of Partition Between the Male and the Female": John Humphrey Noyes and Free Love by Louis J. Kern
- Free Love and Feminism: John Humphrey Noyes and the Oneida Community by Lawrence Foster
- Sex and Prophetic Power: A Comparison of John Humphrey Noyes, Founder of the Oneida Community, with Joseph Smith, JrM the Mormon Prophet by Lawrence Foster
Warrenism
- True Civilization by Josiah Warren
- Equitable Commerce by Josiah Warren
- Modern Government and its True Mission by Josiah Warren
- Narrative of Practical Experiments by Josiah Warren
- The Motives for Communism by Josiah Warren
- From the March of Mind by Josiah Warren
- Individuality by Josiah Warren
- Liberty and responsibility of the individual by Josiah Warren
- The Peaceful Revolutionist by Josiah Warren
- Modern Education by Josiah Warren
- Social Experiment by Josiah Warren
- Plan of the Cincinnati Labor for Labor Store by Josiah Warren
- Notebook D by Josiah Warren
- Voluntary subordination by Josiah Warren
- A Few Words to the Writer in a Paper Called ‘the Circular’ on the Sovereignty of the Individual by Josiah Warren
- Open Letter to Kossuth by Josiah Warren
- My Dear Sir by Josiah Warren
- Written Music Remodeled by Josiah Warren
- Josiah Warren: The First American Anarchist by William Bailie
- The Science of Society by Stephen Pearl Andrews
- Josiah Warren and the Sovereignty of the Individual by Ann Caldwell Butler
Wikipedia
Notes
- ↑ Early socialists rejected an independent conception of liberty, opposed to the social, and also despised equality, as they considered, as Fourier, that one had only to orchestrate individual discordances, to harmonize them, or they believed, as Saint-Simon, that equality contradicted equity by a brutal levelling of individualities. Utopian socialism thus only valued fraternity, which was, in Cabet's Icarie the sole commandment.[1]
- ↑ William Godwin was an early Socialist and a proto-Communist, with his thought largely influenced by Socialism writings of Robert Owen and Charles Fourier.
References
Gallery
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