This article is an edited version of one published in the Socialist Standard (1993), the monthly journal of the Socialist Party of Great Britain Wilde: the soul of man under socialismOscar Wilde was a well known critic of many aspects of the nineteenth century writer Britain in which he lived. Especially interesting from a WSM point of view are the views that he expressed in his essay, The Soul of Man Under Socialism. Wilde's description of socialism was as a world without private property. He clearly favoured this kind of society, commenting that
He does not state that socialism is a world without money. His criticism of charity, however, does imply that the capitalist system should not be reformed but abolished:
Although written just over one hundred years ago it is remarkably apt for the contemporary world. Wilde continues:
This is far removed from the traditional values in nineteenth century Britain which we still hear about, as is his condemnation of contemporary attitudes to the poor. He comments:
Anticipating criticism of this view, he argues that "no Authoritarian Socialism will do", meaning socialism cannot be forced on people and can only be achieved when the majority want it:
This is as good a definition of socialism as we will find. As well as material well-being, socialism will, for Wilde, also help to bring about a positive brand of 'individualism' in which every people can fulfill their individual potential:
This personality or "spirit," is what Wilde means by the 'Soul of Man.' With the end of war, hunger and poverty, people will take for granted the material things of this world and concentrate on "not in what man has but in what man is." Wilde sees machinery as vitally important for this type of society, since it can do most, if not all, of the work:
Wilde predicts that this will leave man to enjoy:
Whilst a socialist world may still require plenty of useful work to be done, it is true that technology can help humanity. Instead of studying new ways for us to kill each other, scientists can concentrate on developing things which would improve the quality of life for everyone. As Wilde puts it:
Wilde defines the state as
To use the word state was a mistake as he did not mean a government and argued that "the state is not to govern". For Wilde, the "state" simply meant the co-operation of humans to provide what we need. The Soul of Man serves as a good introduction to socialism, and is clearly still relevant today:
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