What Is Socialism?

What is socialism? What should it be? Socialism should be the free exchange among equals, each according to their needs and abilities. Those needs and abilities should be readily understood among all of the people involved because they know each other and they love each other. The exchange should be direct and willingly offered, lovingly accepted and appreciated by all. That is true socialism, an expression of love among and between people. The mutual caring and advancement of people within a strong social structure.

That picture of socialism is indeed possible and can be very effective, but it requires all of the elements to be in place. Each person knows all of the others. The exchanges of abilities or possessions that meet the needs of others must be given willingly. No one must feel compelled, or forced, to provide for the needs of others. No third party can be involved to compel or force the exchanges between others.

Ideal socialism can easily take place within the family structure. It can even stretch into extended families or clans. Beyond this level, however, it is no longer possible for each party to know every other party. Ideal socialism works in a face-to-face, highly networked setting. It breaks down if foreigners are not quickly integrated into the network.

People talk about the 'redistribution of wealth' as being a key ingredient of socialism. That is an improper analysis. The free redistribution of one's own wealth is socialism. The compelled distribution of one person's wealth to the control of a third party is despotism, regardless of whether that third party keeps the wealth, keeps part and distributes part, or keeps none and distributes all. The very act of compelling one person to surrender their possessions or talents destroys any value inherent in socialism. The fact that one party can compel another party is an obvious indication that the people are NOT equal.

Free-market capitalism is the natural extension of ideal socialism because it maintains the freedom and willing exchanges between parties — each from their abilities to the other's needs. A parent works and earns money. With some of that money the parents are able to buy baby formula and diapers. They do so in order to meet the needs of their infant. The parents' abilities provide them with a trade commodity — perhaps a bushel of wheat, perhaps a ten-dollar bill — that is freely and willingly exchanged for a product that the parents cannot easily make themselves — baby formula or diapers. Once that free and willing exchange is complete, the parents then make another free exchange in giving it to their child without any expectation that the child will exchange any tangible asset for it... any valuable tangible asset. This is how ideal, real, applied socialism interacts with — in fact, depends upon — free-market capitalism. Without free-market capitalism, the family members themselves might need to learn how to make baby formula and diapers to meet the needs of their child. Their abilities to meet other greater needs will be severely limited, perhaps prohibited. By spreading the wealth of skills and knowledge among the members of the community, true family-based socialism thrives within a free-market capitalist system that allows for specialization of work to meet all of the needs of the families within and between communities.

That is what true effective and efficient Socialism looks like. Don't mess it up by getting the government involved!