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thebruenigs
thebruenigs

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The individual versus the collective under socialism

Matt is here with a solo episode where he tackles a philosophical tension that runs through much socialist thinking and posting: how can socialism be both individually liberating while also relying on collective control and ownership?

This winding (don't call it rambling) episode covers many topics including Distributism, Jeffersonians, Rawls's property-owning democracy, and various socialist tendencies. And most importantly, it offers a real solution to the conundrum.

Comments

I don't think the definition of Distributism given here is consistent with any of the current conversation among actual Distributists. Chesterton (why did you keep saying Chesterfield, Matt?) and Belloc were both members of a industrialized society and understood that "3 acres and a mule" wasn't possible. Distributism is not about each person owning their own means of production. It's not about each person being a sole proprietor. It's about each person owning their work. That might look like a sole proprietorship, or it might look like being one of ten thousand owners in a massive enterprise. The point in Distributism is that you retain private property while also eliminating comodified labor. That doesn't mean you work alone, it just means you get your fair portion of what you produce. That can happen at scale. Also, there can be intermediate steps and gradual moves towards a Distributist model, just as we can move gradually towards a socialist model. Matt Stoller's work and other anti-trust type efforts could be seen as one facet of a move towards Distributism. Social wealth funds could also play a role in some way, maybe as part of a hybrid Distributist/socialist model, by generating public dollars to pad out against some of the natural inequities that come from markets and private property.

I think we could eliminate Friday work immediately and go to a standard 32 hr work week. Friday productivity is about 50% right now. In a Matt Bruenig socialist utopia, how do you decide a heart surgeon's wealth compared to a dishwasher? Great episode, by the way.


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