Socialism and Human Nature

One claim that is frequently made about socialism is that it fails to account for human nature.

The question is, Whose nature?

I, for one, am perfectly willing to do tasks that don’t bring me much reward but that actualize in benefit for other people. So do many people I know, and most of these people are not Communists. I have seen this attitude in serious Christians and Buddhists. I have seen it in academics. I have seen it in some in the military and the police. I have even seen it in the economics department of the University of Virginia, where people believed that they were raising the world out of poverty and were willing to take lower-paying jobs in the academia to be a part of that effort.

If the only way you can be made to contribute is that if you don’t you will starve to death, then that is your nature. It is not mine.

So we have Axl Rose saying, “You’re not the only one.” I knew that long before Axl Rose did. I got called a commie for saying things to that effect. So now we have people saying that I am more selfish than an average person. This is beyond ridiculous.

I once knew a naturally altruistic woman who said that if she could not live for herself then she could not live. That is completely wrong. There are many reasons to live besides yourself. You can live for God. You can live for a cause. You can live for people you care about. To claim that people not only should, but must, live for themselves is an outrage. Here was a woman of great talent and intellect who had many things to offer. But wrong beliefs made it impossible for her to give to the world what she had to give.

People come with all sorts of natures. When I was 16, I was talking to my mother about “common human nature.” She said that there was no such thing, and that she herself never wanted to hurt anyone. She was right. Different people will come with different natures, and some will be better than others.

In my case, I am perfectly willing to work hard, and I’ve proven that on many occasions. What I am not willing to do is live according to the brutal logic of survival and competition, or “winners and losers,” or “adequacy” or anything of the sort. People in 21^st century should not be having to live that way. I do not compete; I innovate. I take on projects that nobody else is working on. And in doing so I make much bigger contributions than I did when I competed for jobs in the computer industry. There are many people who can program computers. There are not many people who can translate Marina Tsvetayeva or have the kinds of insights that I have had.

Is capitalism wrong? Not at all. There are many people for whom capitalism works, and they should be free to be a part of it. What they should not be free to do is demand that everyone else live the way they live themselves. Unlike many on the Left, I do not oppose business. I have known a number of businessmen whom I respected. However I have also respected any number of people who did not make much money but who made significant contributions to the world.

What is human nature? Well, a being that exists as himself, as part of his group and as part of humanity and life will have natural orientation toward all of the preceding, meaning that he will be interested in being of benefit toward all of the preceding. Both altruism and self-interest are therefore inextricable from human makeup. Benefit yourself and benefit others. And in this fulfil what actually is human nature.