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59-710: The history of socialism in Romania begins in 1834, when an aristocrat named Teodor Diamant (1810–1841) established a utopian socialist colony based on the ideas of French writer Charles Fourier in the town of Scăieni , located north of Bucharest . This experiment in agricultural communitarianism was terminated in 1836. During the decade of the 1870s, socialist ideas again began to gain attention in Romania, particularly among certain university students in Bucharest . Constantin Dobrogeanu-Gherea (1855–1920)

118-399: A pejorative in order to dismiss their ideas as fanciful and unrealistic. A similar school of thought that emerged in the early 20th century which makes the case for socialism on moral grounds is ethical socialism . Those anarchists and Marxists who dismissed utopian socialism did so because utopian socialists generally did not believe any form of class struggle or social revolution

177-585: A destructive force that would lead to a culture of mediocrity, where people were discouraged from striving for excellence. The Atlas movement defines equitism as the idea that all groups should have equal rights and benefits. The term has been used as the claimed philosophical basis of Telosa , a proposed utopia to be built in the United States by Marc Lore . Social equity is about equality of outcomes for each groups, while egalitarianism generally advocates for equality of opportunity, recognizing that

236-406: A direction. Later socialists and critics of utopian socialism viewed utopian socialism as not being grounded in actual material conditions of existing society. These visions of ideal societies competed with revolutionary and social democratic movements. The term utopian socialism is most often applied to those socialists who lived in the first quarter of the 19th century by later socialists as

295-434: A group, which could be mitigated by following individuals outside their group, namely autonomists or individualists. Alexander Berkman suggests that "equality does not mean an equal amount but equal opportunity. ... Do not make the mistake of identifying equality in liberty with the forced equality of the convict camp. True anarchist equality implies freedom, not quantity. It does not mean that everyone must eat, drink, or wear

354-446: A left-wing liberal ideology. The term "utopian socialism" was used by socialist thinkers after the publication of The Communist Manifesto to describe early socialist or quasi-socialist intellectuals who created hypothetical visions of egalitarian , communal, meritocratic , or other notions of perfect societies without considering how these societies could be created or sustained. In The Poverty of Philosophy , Marx criticized

413-440: A mode of production, or an economic system, that's based around private property rights and institutions that determine the wage for labor.  Additionally, the capitalist rulers control the modes of production. This ideological economic structure allows the bourgeoises to undermine the worker's sensibility of their place in society, being that the bourgeoises rule the society in their own interests. These rulers of society exploit

472-407: A negative attitude towards rules and principles; and a positive attitude towards group decision-making . The theory distinguishes between hierarchists , who are positive towards both rules and groups; and egalitarians, who are positive towards groups, but negative towards rules. This is by definition a form of anarchist equality as referred to by Berkman. Thus, the fabric of an egalitarian society

531-698: A reference to men in the English Bill of Rights regarding men on trial for treason; and a rule of proportional Congressional representation in the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution . As the rest of the Constitution, in its operative language the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution uses the term person, stating that "nor shall any State deprives any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny any person within its jurisdiction

590-519: A religious community in what is now Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Egalitarian Egalitarianism (from French égal  'equal'), or equalitarianism , is a school of thought within political philosophy that builds on the concept of social equality , prioritizing it for all people. Egalitarian doctrines are generally characterized by the idea that all humans are equal in fundamental worth or moral status. As such, all people should be accorded equal rights and treatment under

649-509: A sequel entitled Equality as a reply to his critics and which lacked the Industrial Army and other authoritarian aspects. William Morris (1834–1896) published News from Nowhere in 1890, partly as a response to Bellamy's Looking Backward , which he equated with the socialism of Fabians such as Sydney Webb. Morris' vision of the future socialist society was centred around his concept of useful work as opposed to useless toil and

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708-463: A significant influence on the emergence of new religious movements such as spiritualism and occultism . Utopian socialists were seen as wanting to expand the principles of the French revolution in order to create a more rational society. Despite being labeled as utopian by later socialists, their aims were not always utopian and their values often included rigid support for the scientific method and

767-528: A single political party and a radical wing that sought to continue the political fight not just for political democracy but also for the cause of socialist economy. The reform wing was absorbed into the ranks of the National Liberal Party and continued their political efforts in that organization. After about five years of a weak underground existence, the radical wing of the PSDMR reemerged as

826-425: Is held together by cooperation and implicit peer pressure rather than by explicit rules and punishment. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels believed that an international proletarian revolution would bring about a socialist society which would then eventually give way to a communist stage of social development which would be a classless, stateless, moneyless, humane society erected on common ownership of

885-565: Is informed by egalitarian philosophy, being a gender-focused philosophy of equality. Feminism is distinguished from egalitarianism by also existing as a political and social movement. At a cultural level, egalitarian theories have developed in sophistication and acceptance during the past two hundred years. Among the notable broadly egalitarian philosophies are socialism , communism , social anarchism , libertarian socialism , left-libertarianism , and progressivism , some of which propound economic egalitarianism . Anti-egalitarianism or elitism

944-565: Is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" ) in a pamphlet opposing racial segregation in the United States . He wrote, "Racial segregation is a blatant denial of the unity which we all have in Christ." He also alluded to that verse at the end of his 1963 " I Have a Dream " speech. The verse is cited to support an egalitarian interpretation of Christianity. According to Jakobus M. Vorster,

1003-513: Is opposition to egalitarianism. An early example of equality is what might be described as outcome economic egalitarianism is the Chinese philosophy of agriculturalism which held that the economic policies of a country need to be based upon egalitarian self-sufficiency. In socialism , social ownership of means of production is sometimes considered to be a form of economic egalitarianism because in an economy characterized by social ownership

1062-528: Is that liberalism provides democratic societies with the means to carry out civic reform by providing a framework for developing public policy and providing the correct conditions for individuals to achieve civil rights. There are two major types of equality: The English Bill of Rights of 1689 and the United States Constitution use only the term person in operative language involving fundamental rights and responsibilities, except for

1121-446: Is the best remembered among these early advocates of Marxist ideas in Romania. In 1893 the PSDMR was established in an effort to unite various radical individuals in a unitary political organization. The PSDMR was particularly strong in the city of Bucharest and it grew to about 6,000 members by 1897. In February 1900 the PSDMR split between a reformist wing that sought to unite all pro-democracy forces, socialist and non-socialist, in

1180-404: Is the term often used to describe the first current of modern socialism and socialist thought as exemplified by the work of Henri de Saint-Simon , Charles Fourier , Étienne Cabet , and Robert Owen . Utopian socialism is often described as the presentation of visions and outlines for imaginary or futuristic ideal societies, with positive ideals being the main reason for moving society in such

1239-478: The Christian anarchist ideas of Leo Tolstoy (1828–1910). Pierre-Joseph Proudhon (1809–1865) and Peter Kropotkin (1842–1921) wrote about anarchist forms of socialism in their books. Proudhon wrote What is Property? (1840) and The System of Economic Contradictions, or The Philosophy of Poverty (1847). Kropotkin wrote The Conquest of Bread (1892) and Fields, Factories and Workshops (1912). Many of

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1298-468: The Hutterites are categorized as utopian religious socialists . Classless modes of production in hunter-gatherer societies are referred to as primitive communism by Marxists to stress their classless nature. Utopian communities have existed all over the world. In various forms and locations, they have existed continuously in the United States since the 1730s, beginning with Ephrata Cloister ,

1357-769: The economic and philosophical arguments of Proudhon set forth in The System of Economic Contradictions, or The Philosophy of Poverty . Marx accused Proudhon of wanting to rise above the bourgeoisie . In the history of Marx's thought and Marxism , this work is pivotal in the distinction between the concepts of utopian socialism and what Marx and the Marxists claimed as scientific socialism. Although utopian socialists shared few political, social, or economic perspectives, Marx and Engels argued that they shared certain intellectual characteristics. In The Communist Manifesto , Marx and Friedrich Engels wrote: The undeveloped state of

1416-415: The means of production and the principle of " From each according to their ability, to each according to their needs ". Marxism rejected egalitarianism in the sense of greater equality between classes, clearly distinguishing it from the socialist notion of the abolition of classes based on the division between workers and owners of productive property. Allen Woods finds that Marx's view of classlessness

1475-492: The scientific method to human social organization and were therefore not utopian. On the basis of Karl Popper 's definition of science as "the practice of experimentation, of hypothesis and test", Joshua Muravchik argued that "Owen and Fourier and their followers were the real 'scientific socialists.' They hit upon the idea of socialism, and they tested it by attempting to form socialist communities". By contrast, Muravchik further argued that Marx made untestable predictions about

1534-401: The surplus product generated by industry would accrue to the population as a whole as opposed to a class of private owners, thereby granting each increased autonomy and greater equality in their relationships with one another. Although the economist Karl Marx is sometimes mistaken to be an egalitarian, Marx eschewed normative theorizing on moral principles altogether. Marx did have a theory of

1593-682: The Socialist Union of Romania (Uniunea Socialistă din România), working closely with the emerging trade union movement in Bucharest. In February 1910 the Socialist Union of Romania determined to establish a new national political organization known as the Romanian Social Democratic Party (PSDR) and dissolved itself to join the ranks of that new organization. Utopian socialism Utopian socialism

1652-1079: The anarchist collectives formed in Spain , especially in Aragon and Catalonia , during the Spanish Civil War were based on their ideas. Many participants in the historical kibbutz movement in Palestine in the Ottoman Empire, then later Mandatory Palestine under British occupation and later Israel were motivated by utopian socialist ideas. Augustin Souchy (1892–1984) spent most of his life investigating and participating in many kinds of socialist communities. Souchy wrote about his experiences in his autobiography Beware! Anarchist! Behavioral psychologist B. F. Skinner (1904–1990) published Walden Two in 1948. The Twin Oaks Community

1711-803: The approach to democratize power, decision-making, and responsibility and distributed them more evenly among all members of a team or organization. Many philosophers, including Ingmar Persson, Peter Vallentyne , Nils Holtug, Catia Faria and Lewis Gompertz , have argued that egalitarianism implies that the interests of non-human animals must be taken into account as well. Philosopher Oscar Horta has further argued that egalitarianism implies rejecting speciesism , ceasing to exploit non-human animals and aiding animals suffering in nature . Furthermore, Horta argues that non-human animals should be prioritized since they are worse off than humans. In 1957, Martin Luther King Jr. quoted Galatians 3:28 ("There

1770-422: The best possible plan of the best possible state of society? Hence, they reject all political, and especially all revolutionary, action; they wish to attain their ends by peaceful means, and endeavor, by small experiments, necessarily doomed to failure, and by the force of example, to pave the way for the new social Gospel. Marx and Engels associated utopian socialism with communitarian socialism which similarly sees

1829-504: The central question debated by theologians is whether the statement about ecclesiastical relationships can be translated into a Christian-ethical norm for all human relationships. Vorster argues that it can, and that the verse provides a Christian foundation for the promotion of human rights and equality, in contrast to "patriarchy, racism and exploitation" which in his opinion are caused by human sinfulness. Karin Neutel notes how some apply

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1888-687: The claim is that an interplay between all these perspectives are required if each perspective is to be fulfilling. Although an individualist according to cultural theory is aversive towards both principles and groups, individualism is not fulfilling if individual brilliance cannot be recognized by groups, or if individual brilliance cannot be made permanent in the form of principles. Accordingly, they argue that egalitarians have no power except through their presence, unless they (by definition, reluctantly) embrace principles which enable them to cooperate with fatalists and hierarchies. They argue that this means they will also have no individual sense of direction without

1947-441: The class struggle, as well as their own surroundings, causes Socialists of this kind to consider themselves far superior to all class antagonisms. They want to improve the condition of every member of society, even that of the most favored. Hence, they habitually appeal to society at large, without distinction of class; nay, by preference, to the ruling class. For how can people, when once they understand their system, fail to see it in

2006-505: The creation of a society based upon scientific understanding. Edward Bellamy (1850–1898) published Looking Backward in 1888, a utopian romance novel about a future socialist society. In Bellamy's utopia, property was held in common and money replaced with a system of equal credit for all. Valid for a year and non-transferable between individuals, credit expenditure was to be tracked via "credit-cards" (which bear no resemblance to modern credit cards which are tools of debt-finance). Labour

2065-418: The entire concept of equality as abstract and bourgeois, preferring to focus on more concrete principles such as opposition to exploitation on materialist grounds and economic logic. In the title essay of his book Egalitarianism as a Revolt Against Nature and Other Essays , Murray Rothbard argued that egalitarian theory always results in a politics of statist control because it is founded on revolt against

2124-676: The equal protection of the laws". The motto " Liberté, égalité, fraternité " was used during the French Revolution and is still used as an official motto of the French government. The 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen French Constitution is also framed with this basis in equal rights of humankind. The Declaration of Independence of the United States is an example of an assertion of equality of men as " All men are created equal " and

2183-436: The establishment of small intentional communities as both a strategy for achieving and the final form of a socialist society. Marx and Engels used the term scientific socialism to describe the type of socialism they saw themselves developing. According to Engels, socialism was not "an accidental discovery of this or that ingenious brain, but the necessary outcome of the struggle between two historically developed classes, namely

2242-456: The evolution of moral principles concerning specific economic systems . The American economist John Roemer has put forth a new perspective on equality and its relationship to socialism. Roemer attempts to reformulate Marxist analysis to accommodate normative principles of distributive justice , shifting the argument for socialism away from purely technical and materialist reasons to one of distributive justice. Roemer argues that according to

2301-437: The future and that Marx's view that socialism would be created by impersonal historical forces may lead one to conclude that it is unnecessary to strive for socialism because it will happen anyway. Social unrest between the employee and employer in a society results from the growth of productive forces such as technology and natural resources are the main causes of social and economic development. These productive forces require

2360-414: The immense gains people receive from trading with each other arise because they are unequal in characteristics and talents—these differences may be innate or developed so that people can gain from trading with each other. Thompson et al. theorize that any society consisting of only one perspective, be it egalitarianism, hierarchies, individualist , fatalist or autonomists will be inherently unstable as

2419-470: The internal failures of capitalism. He described how the tensions between the productive forces and the modes of production would lead to the downfall of capitalism through a social revolution. Leading the revolution would be the proletariat, being that the preeminence of the bourgeoise would end. Marx's vision of his society established that there would be no classes, freedom of mankind, and the opportunity of self-interested labor to rid any alienation. Since

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2478-558: The law . Egalitarian doctrines have supported many modern social movements, including the Enlightenment , feminism , civil rights , and international human rights . One key aspect of egalitarianism is its emphasis on equal opportunities for all individuals, regardless of their background or circumstances. This means ensuring that everyone has access to the same resources, education, and opportunities to succeed in life. By promoting equal opportunities, egalitarianism aims to level

2537-443: The mid-19th century, Engels overtook utopian socialism in terms of intellectual development and number of adherents. At one time almost half the population of the world lived under regimes that claimed to be Marxist. Currents such as Owenism and Fourierism attracted the interest of numerous later authors but failed to compete with the now dominant Marxist and Anarchist schools on a political level. It has been noted that they exerted

2596-550: The noblest of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted". Muhammad echoed these egalitarian sentiments, sentiments that clashed with the practices of the pre-Islamic cultures. In a review of Louise Marlow's Hierarchy and Egalitarianism in Islamic Thought, Ismail Poonawala argues the desire for the Arab-Muslim Empire to consolidate power and administer

2655-403: The ontological structure of reality itself. According to Rothbard, individuals are naturally unequal in their abilities, talents, and characteristics. He believed that this inequality was not only natural but necessary for a functioning society. In his view, people's unique qualities and abilities are what allow them to contribute to society in different ways. Rothbard argued that egalitarianism

2714-447: The philosophy of Paul's statement to include sexuality, health and race saying "[The original] three pairs must have been as relevant in the first century, as the additional categories are today." She argues that the verse points to a utopian , cosmopolitan community. The verse 49 :13 of The Quran states: "O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed,

2773-410: The playing field and reduce disparities that result from social inequalities. Some specifically focused egalitarian concerns include communism , legal egalitarianism , luck egalitarianism , political egalitarianism , gender egalitarianism , racial equality , equality of opportunity , and Christian egalitarianism . Common forms of egalitarianism include political and philosophical. One argument

2832-423: The principle of distributive justice, the traditional definition of socialism is based on the principle that individual compensation is proportional to the value of the labor one expends in production (" To each according to his contribution ") is inadequate. Roemer concludes that egalitarians must reject socialism as it is classically defined for equality to be realized. The egalitarian management style focusses on

2891-454: The proletariat and the bourgeoisie. Its task was no longer to manufacture a system of society as perfect as possible, but to examine the historical-economic succession of events from which these classes and their antagonism had of necessity sprung, and to discover in the economic conditions thus created the means of ending the conflict". Critics have argued that utopian socialists who established experimental communities were in fact trying to apply

2950-596: The redemption of human labour. Morris believed that all work should be artistic, in the sense that the worker should find it both pleasurable and an outlet for creativity. Morris' conception of labour thus bears strong resemblance to Fourier's, while Bellamy's (the reduction of labour) is more akin to that of Saint-Simon or in aspects Marx. The Brotherhood Church in Britain and the Life and Labor Commune in Russia were based on

3009-419: The relationship between labor and capital, allowing for them to maximize their profit. To Marx and Engels, the profiteering through the exploitation of workers is the core issue of capitalism, explaining their beliefs for the oppression of the working class. Capitalism will reach a certain stage, one of which it cannot progress society forward, resulting in the seeding of socialism. As a socialist, Marx theorized

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3068-486: The same things, do the same work, or live in the same manner. Far from it: the very reverse. ... Individual needs and tastes differ, as appetites differ. It is an equal opportunity to satisfy them that constitutes true equality. ... Far from leveling, such equality opens the door for the greatest possible variety of activity and development. For human character is diverse." The cultural theory of risk holds egalitarianism—with fatalism termed as its opposite —as defined by

3127-580: The state rather led to the deemphasis of egalitarian teachings in the Qur'an and by the Prophet. Modern egalitarianism is a theory that rejects the classic definition of egalitarianism as a possible achievement economically, politically, and socially. Modern egalitarianism theory, or new egalitarianism, outlines that if everyone had the same opportunity cost , then there would be no comparative advances and no one would gain from trading with each other. In essence,

3186-470: The wording of men and man is a reference to both men and women, i.e., mankind. John Locke is sometimes considered the founder of this form. Many state constitutions in the United States also use the rights of man language rather than rights of person since the noun man has always been a reference to and an inclusion of both men and women. The Tunisian Constitution of 2014 provides that "men and women shall be equal in their rights and duties". Feminism

3245-472: Was a misguided attempt to impose an artificial equality on individuals, which would ultimately lead to societal breakdown. He believed that attempts to force equality through government policies or other means would stifle individual freedom and prevent people from pursuing their own interests and passions. Furthermore, Rothbard believed that egalitarianism was rooted in envy and resentment towards those who were more successful or talented than others. He saw it as

3304-496: Was compulsory from age 21 to 40 and organised via various departments of an Industrial Army to which most citizens belonged. Working hours were to be cut drastically due to technological advances (including organisational). People were expected to be motivated by a Religion of Solidarity and criminal behavior was treated as a form of mental illness or "atavism". The book ranked as second or third best seller of its time (after Uncle Tom's Cabin and Ben Hur ). In 1897, Bellamy published

3363-431: Was necessary for socialism to emerge. Utopian socialists believed that people of all classes could voluntarily adopt their plan for society if it was presented convincingly. Cooperative socialism could be established among like-minded people in small communities that would demonstrate the feasibility of their plan for the broader society. Because of this tendency, utopian socialism was also related to classical radicalism ,

3422-505: Was not the subordination of society to a universal interest such as a universal notion of equality, but it was about the creation of the conditions that would enable individuals to pursue their true interests and desires, making Marx's notion of communist society radically individualistic. Although his position is often confused or conflated with distributive egalitarianism in which only the goods and services resulting from production are distributed according to notional equality, Marx eschewed

3481-462: Was originally based on his ideas. Ursula K. Le Guin (1929–2018) wrote about an impoverished anarchist society in her book The Dispossessed , published in 1974, in which the anarchists agree to leave their home planet and colonize a barely habitable moon in order to avoid a bloody revolution. Some communities of the modern intentional community movement such as kibbutzim could be categorized as utopian socialist. Some religious communities such as

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