Map My Politics

UTOPIAN SOCIALISM – The Communal Ideology

Utopian socialism is one of the six quasi-democratic or “fringe” political ideologies on the Map My Politics ideology chart, occupying the area on the bottom left, below the social libertarian and libertarian socialist zones. Like their anarchistic neighbors to the right, utopian socialists believe in maximal personal autonomy to the point of advocating for a stateless society. However, utopian socialists are more traditional in their ideological anarchism by eschewing private property in favor of communal ownership of land and other resources. Because these beliefs place utopian socialism outside the realm of traditional democratic governance, we consider utopian socialism on the fringe of the more mainstream political ideologies.

On the x-axis of economic liberty, utopian socialism is a decidedly left-wing ideology, in the sense of its opposition to traditionally hierarchical society where the free market prevails, producing inherited wealth and privilege. As such, it is a communalist, egalitarian ideology that seeks to transcend classical liberalism in favor of a classless, meritocratic society based on science, reason and ethics. In contrast, utopian socialism’s ideological cousins to the right on the MMP chart, anarchism and anarcho-capitalism, accept at least some degree of private property. Anarcho-capitalists champion a stateless society based on laissez-faire economics, while generic anarchists accept a mix of private and common ownership. This leaves utopian socialists as the advocates for a truly classless society without private property. The common denominator between the ideologies is the lack of a central government to establish currency, impose taxes or provide essential services. To mainstream ideologies, even socialist ones, this absence represents a naïve shortcoming of utopian socialism. To a utopian socialist, however, such thinking merely demonstrates a fundamental lack of belief in mankind’s future capacity to live in a stateless setting where everyone’s economic needs are met.

Regarding the y-axis of social liberty, utopian socialists are by definition absolutists about the lack of state authority to impose limits on personal behavior. This is not to say that utopian socialism is an ideology that isn’t grounded in religion or morality, rather that utopian socialists value self-imposed ethics over externally-imposed morality. In this regard, utopian socialism is no different than libertarian-based ideologies in its rejection of state authority. But utopian socialism differs in its non-individualistic, communal-based nature. Indeed, the word “utopia” comes from the book of the same name written by Sir (later Saint) Thomas More, the 16th century English Catholic statesman, about an imaginary society in which a sort of monastic socialism prevails. More, now considered the first utopian socialist, put his rejection of state authority to the ultimate test and was beheaded by order of Henry VIII for placing his faith above a royal decree regarding papal supremacy.

As a political ideology, utopian socialism’s roots lie in the post-Enlightenment utilitarianism of Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill, but the French Revolution was instrumental in advancing it further in the philosophical writings of Henri de Saint-Simon and Pierre-Joseph Proudhon. The early 19th century would prove a veritable hotbed of utopian socialist thought with two other French philosophers, Charles Fourier and Étienne Cabet, forming actual American utopian communities, as would a Welshman, Robert Owen. Despite the eventual failure of such societies, Owen and the others were still admired for their utopian vision, however the socialist philosophers Karl Marx and Frederich Engels would later disparage utopian socialism for neglecting – in their view – the necessary class struggle of the proletariat against the bourgeoisie. Subsequently, Zionist socialists like Berl Katznelson inspired the modern kibbutz movement in Israel that incorporates many utopian socialist ideals.

Because the United States is – for the most part – a two-party system, utopian socialists can more often be found in the more economically progressive of the parties, the Democratic Party. However, true utopian socialists would presumably find much to criticize in either establishment party platform and would seek out alternate parties or would vote independently. Regardless of how a utopian socialist chooses to participate politically, however, a strong tendency to support anti-authoritarian and anti-capitalist policies will predominate. As we stress repeatedly on the Map My Politics site, politics at its most fundamental level is about ideology.

There are no utopian socialists in mainstream American politics, chiefly because utopian socialism is not a mainstream ideology. Some Democratic politicians have certainly expressed socialist viewpoints, but no elected members of Congress have, as yet, openly advocated for replacing the American constitutional form of government with a stateless one. Influential modern utopian socialist thinkers and activists have included Murray Bookchin, Howard Zinn and John Zerzan, among others.

For further reading about the utopian socialist ideology, click here.

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