Socialism

1. Axioms

The following axioms function as non-derived premises within socialism. They express foundational assumptions about justice, power, and the distribution of productive resources.

1. Economic structures shape life outcomes: Ownership and control of production materially determine opportunity, security, and social power.
2. Unregulated capital concentrates power: Without countervailing institutions, wealth and ownership tend to accumulate and distort democracy.
3. Social goods require collective provision: Essential needs (e.g., health, education, basic security) should not depend solely on market purchase.
4. Work is socially foundational: Labor creates value and should be represented in governance and distribution.
5. Equality is a moral aim: Large, avoidable inequalities are ethically suspect and politically destabilizing.

2. Derived Doctrinal Commitments

From these axioms, socialism derives commitments about ownership, coordination, and democratic control.

• Social ownership or control: Key productive assets should be publicly owned, cooperatively owned, or democratically regulated.
• Democratic accountability: Economic decisions with broad social impact should be subject to public oversight.
• Decommodification (in many strands): Certain domains (basic welfare, housing, health) should be insulated from pure market logic.
• Worker power: Labor should have meaningful influence through unions, co-determination, or cooperative governance.
• Planned coordination (variable): Markets may be supplemented or replaced by planning, depending on the tradition and sector.

3. Ethical Framework

Ethical reasoning in socialism emphasizes solidarity, fairness, and protection against domination through wealth.

• Solidarity: Society has duties to protect members from preventable deprivation and insecurity.
• Anti-domination: Concentrated economic power is treated as a threat to freedom and democratic life.
• Fair distribution: Outcomes should reflect moral equality and reduce structurally produced disadvantage.

4. Practices

Practices function as institutional strategies to align economic life with collective welfare and accountability.

• Union organizing and collective bargaining
• Cooperative enterprises and workplace democracy
• Public provision of essential services
• Progressive taxation and redistribution
• Regulation of capital, finance, and monopolies

5. Internal Diversity

Socialism contains significant internal variation downstream from shared axioms.

• Democratic socialism, social democracy, and revolutionary socialism
• Market socialism versus centralized planning approaches
• Different views on the role of the state versus cooperatives
• Different theories of value, exploitation, and class structure