Ask anyone on the Pepperdine campus what the word socialism means to them and I can guarantee that you’ll receive a mixed response probably ranging from confusion to even fury. Some might conjure scattered images of an inefficient Soviet-era bureaucracy consisting of long lines and red tape. Others may passionately argue that any limitations on economic freedoms are a violation of individual liberties and should not be tolerated. I’d like to navigate above the fray however and center the discussion around what I’ve found to be a more accurate definition – one expressed by the humanistic philosopher Erich Fromm: “Socialism is the abolition of human self-alienation the return of man as a real human being.”
My journey to this human-centered understanding of socialism has been heavily personal. While overseas in the Lausanne program some fellow Pepperdine students and I traveled to Oslo primarily on a whim. Over the course of the trip I happened to meet one of my current best friends a Norwegian medical student and political activist. She and I eventually were able to reconnect and travel extensively throughout her country conversing about political and economic realities as we meandered toward her home above the Arctic Circle lit even at night under a summer midnight sun.
I have to admit I was a bit startled at first when she first told me that she was a socialist and had been since high school. It came up suddenly in one of our early conversations and my reaction slowly drifted from knee-jerk hesitation to moderate curiosity. “Wait I thought. Isn’t socialism at odds with essential freedoms?” As I picked her mind further however I came to discover over time that the philosophy at its core emphasizes liberty far more than its dominant rival (in the United States at least): free-market or “laissez-faire” capitalism. My eyes gradually opened to the deep and growing problem of income inequality in the United States which limits human rights such as the freedom to access quality healthcare and public education. Yes the country has become financially wealthier since the free-market reforms of the Reagan years. But does that necessarily maximize development in the human sense?
The answer would seem to be no. On Monday the UN Development Programme released its latest annual Human Development Index a mathematical ranking of nations based upon statistical measurements of life expectancy educational attainment and GDP per capita. Norway reclaimed its top position on the list after previously topping the list for six consecutive years (2001-2006) and being passed by its neighbor Iceland two years ago. The United States by contrast is ranked 13th. This is by no means a low ranking but it is strongly indicative of very real weaknesses that still need to be addressed if the country is to achieve the fullest potential of humanization. While free-market capitalism usually focuses on expanding the private property and disposable incomes of individuals socialism strives to create environmentally friendly and efficient public goods that can be utilized by the entire community. This focus has proven to be especially successful in countries like Norway which is considered a welfare state and has a socialist Minister of Finance.
More importantly however socialism generally encourages the development of diverse cultural and religious identities often breathing life into human struggles for social justice and toward the eradication of discriminatory class systems. (A relevant example is Cornel West a prominent Christian member of the Democratic Socialists of America who is speaking this week on campus.) By focusing development squarely on humans and their interactions within society the philosophy encourages true evolution of culture rather than merely the accumulation of wealth and the supposed utility it brings.
Though you may not agree with all of the ways socialist thought has been implemented throughout history the philosophy nevertheless places holistic human development as its fundamental goal. Such an end can hardly be thought of as restrictive.