Space/Science — HabitableZone

Space/Science » in reply to Re: Stop the rhetoric, please!

Socialiasm
Nathan Koren — (archived)

As long as I'm ranting... :-)

"Socialism" is a word that's used *way* too casually around here (and other space BBSs), apparently meaning "anybody who's somewhat confused or left-wing, and in any case, evil." Well, I'm no socialist, but I've got to defend it at least this far: it *is* a precise, specific, identifiable ideology, which is held by relatively few people these days. Using it as a blanket term for anybody who is not a Republican or Libertarian, or is just a few sandwhiches short of a picnic, is stupid. It deprives the word of *all* meaning, making it into a hollow propagandistic phrase, in much the same way that the actual socialists would use terms like "petty bourgeous".

I think that everyone here would greatly benefit from actually *studying* at the history of Socialism, and understanding A.) what it really meant for space, and B.) what it really meant for the environment. In this context, calling anybody who's anti-space or pro-environment a "socialist" is really just tiresomely wrong. It makes "socialism" into nothing more than a meaningless epithet, rather than an actual concept that can be *understood*. And only when something understood can it be adequately refuted.

Again, not ranting at you in particular. Just something that's been on my mind for quite a while.

Cheers,

Nathan.

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