POL 315 MODULE 3
UNIT 3
MARX SCIENTIFIC SOCIALISM
CONTENTS
1.0 Introduction
2.0 Objectives
3.0 Main Content
3.1 Scientific Socialism
4.0 Conclusion
5.0 Summary
6.0 Tutor-Marked Assignment
7.0 References/Further Reading
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Socialism arose as a protest against the inhumanity of unregulated, raw
capitalism. Decrying private property, individualism, and selfishness,
socialism is founded on three principles: (1) public ownership of
production, (2) the welfare state, and (3) equality and sharing the
abundance. Socialism emerged as an ideology just before the turn of the
eighteenth century. Socialism tasks individuals to produce as much as
they can and, in the spirit of social consciousness, to share their product
with the society at large. By this means, it is assumed, each will get the
greatest benefit, thereby creating the best possible life for all.
2.0 OBJECTIVES
At the end of this unit, you should be able to:
• discuss the nature and origin of scientific socialism
• explain the logic and pervasiveness of scientific socialism
• highlight the outcomes and challenges of scientific socialism.
3.0 MAIN CONTENT
3.1 Scientific Socialism
The early conceptions of socialism were largely utopian (cooperative
socialism, syndicalism, guild system etc.) and they all had vision of a
better order of society and gave it form, color and proclaimed it far and
wide but they could not say how to realise it in practice. Utopians
criticised capitalist society as unjust. Scientific Socialism was developed
on the fundamental Marxist premise that the history of society is the
inexorable history of class struggle.
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