Mention the important differences between the Utopian Socialism and Scientific Socialism.
Answers
Socialism is one of the main political, social and economic theories of the last decades. Socialism opposes the capitalist perspective: it advocates for common ownership of the means of production and for strong governmental involvement in the economic processes and in the redistribution of wealth. The dichotomy between capitalism and socialism is an opposition between different and contrasting values:
Private ownership vs collective ownership;
Individual rights vs collective rights; and
Free market vs State involvement.
Today, the capitalist perspective has taken over the socialist paradigm. In fact, the unstoppable process of globalization has allowed the capitalist model to spread all over the world. Yet, supporters of the socialist ideals can still be found in all societies.
In addition to the contrasts between socialism and capitalism, we can find an opposition between utopian socialism and Marxian socialism. While both perspectives strive for an egalitarian society, there are several differences between the utopian and the Marxist approach.
Utopian socialism
The term “utopia” refers to “any visionary system of political or social perfection.” In fact, utopian socialists strived for a perfect and equal society and promoted the ideals of a more just humanitarian world. Although all socialist movements can somehow be considered utopic, the label “utopian socialism” refers to the early form of socialism, which spread at the beginning of the 19th century.
Utopian socialism finds its roots in the works of the Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle who described idyllic models of perfect societies. Their ideals were later re-elaborated by philosophers and thinkers in the post-industrial revolution following the increasing pressure on the working force caused by the capitalist system.