scientific socialism

English

Etymology

Calque of French socialisme scientifique.

Noun

scientific socialism (countable and uncountable, plural scientific socialisms)

1. (socialism, obsolete) Society governed by science.
   • 1849 [1840], Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, “Chapitre V. Second Partie. § 2.”, in Qu’est ce que la propriété?, page 242; English translation from “Chapter V. Part Second. § 2.”, in Benjamin Tucker, transl., What Is Property?, translation of original in French, 1876, page 277:

     Thus, in a given society, the authority of man over man is inversely proportional to the stage of intellectual development which that society has reached; and the probable duration of that authority can be calculated from the more or less general desire for a true government, — that is, for a scientific government. And just as the right of force and the right of artifice retreat before the steady advance of justice, and must finally be extinguished in equality, so the sovereignty of the will yields to the sovereignty of the reason, and must at last be lost in scientific socialism.

     [original: Ainsi, dans une société donnée, l’autorité de l’homme sur l’homme est en raison inverse du développement intellectuel auquel cette société est parvenue, et la durée probable de cette autorité peut être calculée sur le désir plus ou moins général d’un gouvernement vrai, c’est-à-dire, d’un gouvernement selon la science. Et de même que le droit de la force et le droit de la ruse se restreignent devant la détermination de plus en plus large de la justice, et doivent finir par s’éteindre dans l’égalité ; de même la souveraineté de la volonté cède devant la souveraineté de la raison, et finira par s’anéantir dans un socialisme scientifique.]

2. (socialism) Socialism that starts from the analysis of capitalism, revealing its inner workings and contradictions, in order to develop a plan to move from capitalism to socialism.

   Synonym: Marxism

   Antonyms: prescientific socialism, unscientific socialism, utopian socialism

   • 1975 [1878], Friedrich Engels, “Dritter Abschnitt. II.”, in Herrn Eugen Dühring’s Umwälzung der Wissenschaft (Mark-Engels-Werke; 20), page 265; English translation from “Part III. II.”, in Emile Burns, transl., Herr Eugen Dühring's Revolution in Science (Marx/Engels Collected Works; 25), translation of original in German, 1987, pages 270-271:

     To accomplish this act of universal emancipation is the historical mission of the modern proletariat. To thoroughly comprehend the historical conditions and thus the very nature of this act, to impart to the now oppressed class a full knowledge of the conditions and of the meaning of the momentous act it is called upon to accomplish, this is the task of the theoretical expression of the proletarian movement, scientific socialism.

     [original: Diese weltbefreiende Tat durchzuführen, ist der geschichtliche Beruf des modernen Proletariats. Ihre geschichtlichen Bedingungen und damit ihre Natur selbst zu ergründen, und so der zur Aktion berufenen, heute unterdrückten Klasse die Bedingungen und die Natur ihrer eignen Aktion zum Bewußtsein zu bringen, ist die Aufgabe des theoretischen Ausdrucks der proletarischen Bewegung, des wissenschaftlichen Sozialismus.]

   • 1923 [1883], Георгий Плеханов [Georgi Plekhanov], chapter II, in Социализм и политическая борьба (Г. В. Плеханов – Сочинения; II)‎^[1], page 45; English translation from chapter II, in Socialism and the Political Struggle (Georgi Plekhanov – Selected Philosophical Works in Five Volumes; I), 1974, page 67:

     Scientific socialism presupposes the “materialist conception of history”, i.e., it explains the spiritual history of humanity by the development of social relations (among other things under the influence of surrounding nature).

     [original: Нау́чный социали́зм предполага́ет «материалисти́ческое понима́ние исто́рии», т. е. он объясня́ет духо́вную исто́рию челове́чества разви́тием его́ обще́ственных отноше́ний (ме́жду про́чим, под влия́нием окружа́ющей приро́ды).]

     Naúčnyj socialízm predpolagájet «materialistíčeskoje ponimánije istórii», t. je. on obʺjasnjájet duxóvnuju istóriju čelovéčestva razvítijem jevó obščéstvennyx otnošénij (méždu próčim, pod vlijánijem okružájuščej priródy).

Derived terms

• scientific socialist

Translations

type of socialism

• Finnish: tieteellinen sosialismi
• French: socialisme scientifique (fr) m
• Greek: επιστημονικός σοσιαλισμός m (epistimonikós sosialismós)
• Indonesian: sosialisme ilmiah
• Polish: socjalizm naukowy m
• Russian: нау́чный социали́зм (ru) m (naúčnyj socialízm)
• Vietnamese: chủ nghĩa xã hội khoa học