Ethical socialism is apolitical ideology[1] andphilosophy that appeals tosocialism onethical andmoral grounds as opposed toconsumeristic,economic, andegoistic grounds.[2] It emphasizes the need for a morally conscious economy based upon the principles ofaltruism,cooperation, andsocial justice while opposing possessiveindividualism.[3]
In contrast to socialism inspired byhistorical materialism,Marxist theory, andneoclassical economics which base their appeals for socialism on grounds ofeconomic efficiency, orhistorical inevitability, ethical socialism focuses on the moral and ethical reasons for advocating socialism.[2] It became the official philosophy of several socialist parties.[4]
Ethical socialism has some significant overlap withChristian socialism,[2]Fabianism,[5]guild socialism,[6]liberal socialism,[7]social-democraticreformism,[8] andutopian socialism.[9] Under the influence of politicians likeCarlo Rosselli in Italy, social democrats began disassociating themselves fromorthodox Marxism altogether as represented byMarxism–Leninism,[10] embracing an ethical liberal socialism,[7]Keynesianism,[10] and appealing to morality rather than any consistent systematic,scientific ormaterialist worldview.[11][12]
Social democracy made appeals tocommunitarian,corporatist, and sometimesnationalist sentiments while rejecting theeconomic andtechnological determinism generally characteristic of botheconomic liberalism and orthodox Marxism.[13]
Ethical socialism can be traced back to theutopian socialists, especiallyHenri de Saint-Simon andCharles Fourier, but alsoanarchists such as the French socialistPierre-Joseph Proudhon[14] as well as Italian revolutionaries and socialists such asGiuseppe Garibaldi[15] andGiuseppe Mazzini.[16] Those utopian socialists, one of the first currents of modernsocialist thought, presented visions and outlines for imaginary or futuristic ideal societies, characterized by the establishment of amoral economy, with positive ideals based on moral and ethical grounds being the main reason for moving society in such a direction.[9] BeforeMarxists established a hegemony over definitions ofsocialism, the termsocialism was a broad concept which referred to one or more of various theories aimed at solving thelabour problem through radical changes in thecapitalist economy. Descriptions of the problem, explanations of its causes and proposed solutions such as the abolition ofprivate property or supportingcooperatives andpublic ownership varied among socialist philosophies.[17]
The termethical socialism initially originated as a pejorative by theMarxian economistRosa Luxemburg againstMarxist revisionistEduard Bernstein and hissocialist reformist supporters, who evokedneo-Kantianliberalideals andethical arguments in favour of socialism.[18] Self-recognized ethical socialists soon arose in Britain such as the Christian socialistR. H. Tawney and its ideals were connected toChristian socialist,Fabian, andguild socialist ideals.[19] Ethical socialism was an important ideology within the BritishLabour Party.[20] Ethical socialism has been publicly supported byBritish prime ministersRamsay MacDonald,[21]Clement Attlee,[22] andTony Blair.[20] While Blair describedNew Labour as a return to ethical socialism, several critics accused him of completely abandoning socialism in favour of capitalism.[23]
Ethical socialism had a profound impact on thesocial democratic movement andreformism during the later half of the 20th century, particularly in Great Britain.[8] Ethical socialism is distinct in its focus on criticism of the ethics of capitalism and not merely criticism of the economic, systemic, and material issues of capitalism.[2] When theSocial Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) renouncedorthodox Marxism during theGodesberg Program in the 1950s, ethical socialism became the official philosophy within the SPD. The decision to abandon the traditionalanti-capitalist policy angered many in the SPD who had supported it.[24] Some such as Ian Adams also argue that this was an abandonment of the classical conception of socialism as involving the replacement of the capitalist economic system and make a distinction betweenclassical socialism andliberal socialism.[25]
R. H. Tawney denounced self-seeking amoral and immoral behaviour that he claimed is supported by capitalism.[2] Tawney opposed what he called the "acquisitive society" that causesprivate property to be used to transfer surplus profit to "functionless owners", i.e.capitalist rentiers.[3] However, he did not denounce managers as a whole, believing thatmanagement andemployees could join in a political alliance for reform.[3] Tawney supported the pooling of surplus profit through means ofprogressive taxation to redistribute these funds to providesocial welfare (includingpublic health care,public education, andpublic housing)[3] and thenationalization of strategic industries and services.[3] He supported worker participation in the business of management in the economy as well as consumer, employee, employer and state cooperation in regulating the economy.[3]
Although Tawney supported a substantial role for public enterprise in the economy, he stated that where private enterprise provided a service that was commensurate with its rewards that was functioning private property, then a business could be usefully and legitimately be left in private hands.[26]Thomas Hill Green supported the right ofequal opportunity for all individuals to be able freely appropriate property, but claimed that acquisition of wealth did not imply that an individual could do whatever they wanted to once that wealth was in their possession.[27] Green opposed "property rights of the few" that were preventing the ownership of property by the many.[27]
Ethical socialism was advocated and promoted by former British prime ministerTony Blair,[28][29] who has been influenced byJohn Macmurray, himself influenced by Green.[30] Blair has defined ethical socialism with similar notions promoted by earlier ethical socialists such as emphasis on thecommon good,rights, andresponsibilities, and support of anorganic society in which individuals flourish throughcooperation.[28][29][30] According to Blair, theLabour Party ran into problems in the 1960s and 1970s when it abandoned ethical socialism and believes that the party's recovery required a return to the ethical socialist values last promoted by theAttlee government.[29][31] However, Blair's critics (both inside and outside Labour) have accused him of completely abandoning socialism in favour of capitalism.[23]
Furthermore, the puritanical political culture of the parliamentary party reinforced, and was reinforced by, its political ideology of ethical socialism.
