The Socialism of to-day

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Monograph

Identifikator:: 835096955

URN:: urn:nbn:de:zbw-retromon-28834

Document type:: Monograph

Author:: Laveleye, Émile de

Title:: The Socialism of to-day

Place of publication:: London

Publisher:: Field & Tuer

Year of publication:: 1884

Scope:: 1 Online-Ressource (XLIV, 331 S.)

Collection:: Economics Books

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250 THE SOCIALISM OF TO-DAY. The principles which used to insure the obedience of the masses lose their sway. Everything is examined, and scepticism pre vails, This unfettered examination ends in the denial of all supernatural sanctions, of the personality of the Deity, and of the immortality of the soul (to mention only these points), and leads to the affirmation of materialism. Then, personal interest becomes a stronger force, with an ever-increasing number of individuals than ideas of order and of devotion to principle, and a situation is brought about thus defined by Colins : “ An epoch of social ignorance, in which immorality increases in proportion to the growth of intelligence.” As pauperism simultaneously increases in the same propor tions, it follows that the bourgeois form of society cannot last. In one way or another it soon falls to pieces, and the supre macy of divine right is restored, until a new revolution ushers in once more the triumph of the bourgeoisie. Society cannot escape from this vicious circle in which it has revolved from the first, until, as the result of the invention and development of the press, and of the absolute impossibility of restricting the examination of old beliefs consequent thereon, all reversion to the theocratic form of government has become radically im possible. When that time comes, humanity must either perish in anarchy, or organize itself conformably to scientific reason. It is then that humanity will enter on the last period of its historical development, the period of “ knowledge,” which will endure as long as the human race can exist on the globe. According to Colins, then, a theocratic régime is order founded on despotism, a democratic régime is liberty engendering anarchy, while the rational or “ logocratic ” régime would secure, at the same time, both liberty and order. Hereafter, according to the Belgian Socialist, society will be definitively organized as follows :—All men being by right equal, they ought all to be placed in the same position with regard to labour. Man is free, and his labour should be free also. To effect this, matter should be subordinated to intelli gence, labour should own both land and capital, and then wages would be at a maximum. All men are brothers, for they have a common origin ; hence, if any are unable to provide for them-

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