Agreeing to what propositions makes you a socialist?

[Calmwinds]

What are the exact propositions that you need to agree with for you to be a Socialist? A Libertarian Socialist? A Communist? A Non-Doctrinaire Communist? Anarchist?

I am looking for the minimum propositions that would be easy to present to others, as there is much theory, but I am sure one does not need to be have read the entire collection of all revolutionaries to become a real x or y.

Like, I am sure to be a Marxist (I prefer the term Communist) one exactly does not have to buy into dialetics. This is what I mean.

This help would be MUCH appreciated.

[Durruti's Ghost]

To be a socialist, you have to support workers' ownership and control of productive processes. Anarchists, communists, anarchist-communists, classical Marxists, Marxist-DeLeonists, left communists, Leninists, etc. are all varieties of socialism, and they all hold this basic principle in common.

[Kwisatz Haderach]

To be a socialist, you must agree with the following three basic propositions:

1. Economic and social equality between all people is a desirable goal, and should be pursued to the greatest possible extent.
2. All questions that affect society - including all questions of political and economic policy - should be decided democratically.
3. All the means of production should be made public or collective property, and the economy should be (democratically) planned.

The other "isms" on your list are subsets of socialism, and, as such, they would add various other propositions to the above. I am less certain about those other propositions than about the basic tenets of socialism, but I'll try to identify them anyway.

To be a libertarian socialist, you must add a fourth proposition to the basic socialist package:

4. All centralization of decision-making power is undesirable and should be avoided as much as possible.

To be a communist (or Marxist, which is more or less the same thing), you must add seven new propositions to the basic socialist package:

4. History is driven by class struggle.
5. In capitalist society, the two major classes are the bourgeoisie (capitalist class) and the proletariat (working class).
6. The capitalists are exploiting the working class.
7. The working class can and should overthrow capitalism, abolish private property over the means of production, and put an end to exploitation.
8. The above can only be achieved by revolution.
9. The revolution must be worldwide.
10. The final goal of the revolution is to create a society without classes, without a state, and without private property: communism.

[LOLseph Stalin]

Another big part of being socialist is also being against social oppression(sexism, racism, etc.) rather than just economic oppression.

[yuon]

I basically agree with KH, except that I would reject number three:
"All the means of production should be made public or collective property, and the economy should be (democratically) planned."

Instead, I would substitute that the means of production should be owned and controlled by those who work there. Of course, it is possible to go further than this, and extended "ownership" to others in the community, but the basic proposition is that the worker has control over their own labour, and, consequently, the means of production.

Which means that I can accept certain types of "market socialists" as real socialists.

:cool:

----

As for anarchism, I would suggest that you have to accept the basic principles, and the consequences and logical conclusions of those principles. Those principles can be explained in a few different ways.


Anarchism is a political theory which aims to create anarchy, "the absence of a master, of a sovereign." [P-J Proudhon, What is Property , p. 264] In other words, anarchism is a political theory which aims to create a society within which individuals freely co-operate together as equals. As such anarchism opposes all forms of hierarchical control - be that control by the state or capitalist - as harmful to the individual and their individuality as well as unnecessary.[1] (http://www.revleft.com/vb/making-sense-anarchism-t6416/index.html)

I would also suggest a browse of this thread (http://www.revleft.com/vb/makes-anarchist-anarchisti-t24725/index.html) (linked to from the making sense thread).

Personally, I like to throw around the phrases "opposition to hierarchy and oppression" and "for freedom and equality".

:cool:

[New Tet]

1. Agree with the Marxian Law of Value.
2. Agree with the principle of the class struggle.
3. Agree with the revolutionary mission of the working class.

[mykittyhasaboner]

"To be a socialist"=you want to overthrow capitalism, and replace it with socialism. From a historical perspective, this would mean you support the expropriation and suppression of the bourgeoisie (the ruling-propertied capitalist class) in favor of the working and exploited classes consolidating power for themselves.

[The Idler]

Power (Economic and political) to the people.