Einstein: "Why Socialism?"

"Why Socialism?"<p>Mao's Chinese Communism<p>Hitler's National Socialist German Workers Party<p>Stalin's Soviet Bolshevism<p>Saddam Hussein's Arab Baath Socialist Party (Iraq edition)<p>Bashir Assad's Arab Baath Socialist Party (Syria edition)<p>Slobodan Milosovic's Serbian Socialist Party<p>Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge<p>Benito Mussolini: Member of Parliament for the Italian Socialist Party at age 24.<p>The Ayatollah Khomenei's Islamic Socialism (as he called it)

It may not be obvious from the name of the publication, but Monthly Review is a Marxist magazine, therefore their view and what they publish is far from neutral. Regarding what Einstein had to say, it can be easily detracted by multiple arguments that are usually a cause of long and heated discussions on HN for those who do not understand economics and do not support free markets. Einstein was certainly a brilliant physicist, but genius does not always translate well in other disciplines.

The socialism vs capitalism debate is always super interesting. But I think from a practical standpoint, changes in technology seem to be far more achievable and impactful than fighting to change culture. The way I see history technology changes the world, and culture and society changes to keep up with it.<p>We all kind of understand this platonic ideal where everyone is happy, not overworked, and like or atleast don't resent their jobs. But our societies have gotten too big, complicated and interdependent. Life is far more complicated and necessarily imperfect these days. Not that I don't respect people fighting the good fight in the bowels of megacorps and governmental beauracracies to make things better. We owe a ton to idealists and do-gooders. But corporations and governments are machines, not people. A machine doesn't understand the concept of 'doing the right thing'. Our best hope in the quest for idealism is to accept that they are machines, and make them better or less important through new tech.

What if the needs of society and the needs of the individual are in opposition? Who works the coal mines in socialism's utopia?

Is there a word for market based socialism? You know capitalism with hair cut upside (taxation) and a hard floor protected low side (poverty).<p>For example - in a developed world most people don't want anyone (lest themselves) to starve, be unable to afford an education for their children, be unemployed or be unable to access life saving healthcare.<p>However we must also encourage innovation and hard work (don't cap upside - just hair cut it for public utility use - aka taxation) - so people should be allowed to earn more - but they are not allowed to fall below the poverty line - ever. This is good for a mass market based economy that requires a large middle class with a decent amount of disposable income (1 rich person = 1 pair of jeans, whereas for an equivalent amount of wealth 1000 middle class people = 1000 jeans from the rich person).<p>If the pie is growing just like the market fundamentalists say - well then there's no problem with this. Just keep growing - you'll have more in the end - and pay for your disproportionate benefit from the use of public/common goods - aka suck it up and share children.<p>Indeed - with the automation I see coming within the next 2 decades - a lot of these free market fundamentalists will be, quite frankly, out of a job.<p>I look forward to mass unemployment.

Genius, Einstein -- as always.