Isn't Socialism being let off of serious analysis when it is not submitted to reality analysis with the real-life application for 30 years under Stalin?
Historical archive only. New interaction is disabled.
Original Question
Noticing the affection among students in the academy for Socialism, even after reading One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexandr Solzhenitsyn , one must ask, is it a logical fallacy to compare Free Enterprise as it exists so imperfectly in reality with the idealized version of socialism as Lenin projected it or as Sanders does presently and not compare the reality of Socialism in the Soviet Union or Russia, say under Stalin, with the Free Enterprise System perhaps during the same time period (to better keep with the apples to apples paradigm)? If one does not utilize a comparison, does one not fall into a defacto comparison with Nirvana or Utopia?
Answers
1Well, how about a comparison with Norway? Advocates of Socialism have an argument its worked pretty well there. (Though there are counter arguments!) Believe me when I tell you I’m no fan of Socialism, i.e., a capitalist through & through. However, when dealing with any Socio-economic system of government you encounter a prodigious number of variables – overwhelming in my view – to reduce that system’s ‘essence’ to anything sufficiently ‘micro’ that can enjoin or entertain the possible label of a logical fallacy.
The eternal lament of the Socialist, somewhat analogous to yesteryear's Brooklyn Dodger fans’ “Wait ‘til Next Year!” runs along the lines of “Just wait, eventually we’ll get it right!” But despite minor setbacks such as the Soviet Union, Red China, Cuba and most recently (& conspicuously) Venezuela, there exists the theoretical possibility this could happen (i.e., however ‘right’ is defined) thus evoking comparisons with prior ‘failures’ do not connote logical fallacies, especially since opponents can always argue “you are comparing apples with tricycles!”
The eternal lament of the Socialist, somewhat analogous to yesteryear's Brooklyn Dodger fans’ “Wait ‘til Next Year!” runs along the lines of “Just wait, eventually we’ll get it right!” But despite minor setbacks such as the Soviet Union, Red China, Cuba and most recently (& conspicuously) Venezuela, there exists the theoretical possibility this could happen (i.e., however ‘right’ is defined) thus evoking comparisons with prior ‘failures’ do not connote logical fallacies, especially since opponents can always argue “you are comparing apples with tricycles!”
Master Logical Fallacies Online
Take the Virversity course and sharpen your reasoning skills with structured lessons.
View Online Course