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The Socialism And Capitalism Of Society

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In this paper, we will look at both socialism and capitalism. These are both very broad topics so not every aspect of each will be covered. We will, though, try to achieve a basic understanding of both of the systems. We will see how they differ and how they are similar.
The term socialism was brought onto the world scene in the 1830s. It was first used to describe the doctrines of Charles Fourier, Henri De Saint-Simon, and Robert Owen (Dagger).These men believed that society should be organized in a way, which the people do not work in a competitive environment, rather, they work for the common good and physical well-being of all. In this sort of utopian type society, everyone would be on the same level economically. There would be no …show more content…

However, with all variations of socialism, there is no private ownership. The individual exists to serve and better the common good. The central power or the state is in control of all means of production and goods, and distributes them equally among the people based on their need. (“What”).
According to Timothy Shenk, Socialism in its earliest stages, was a vision of its founders, like Henri de Saint-Simon and Charles Fourier, to be a new type of religion. They did not intend it to be a competitor to capitalism; they saw it as something bigger than that. They wanted something that could overtake Christianity to “liberate humanity from antiquated prejudices.” They did not see society as a “collection of individuals.” They believed that society was a single “organism” that had a logic of its own. They also believed that this organism was something that could be understood and controlled by means of having an understanding of social science (Shenk). Social science is the scientific study of human society and social relationships (“Definition”). Fourier, Saint-Simon, and others believed that they as socialist had the most comprehensive understanding of the human relation. They believed this comprehensive understanding gave them the right to act on behalf of

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