This is an article from the February 2025 Civitas Examiner (Volume 2, No. 1) and was written by one of our students, Augustus F. The opinions expressed herein do not reflect those of Civitas other than respect for the value of open dialogue. To read more Civitas Examiner stories or to submit your own, click here.
What actually is socialism? Is it not getting to choose what type of bread you get? Does it involve rations? Is it run by a dictator? Is it evil?
To all of those questions, unequivocally, no. Socialism, while often used as a pejorative term by Conservatives, is simply an economic system that prioritizes economic planning over unchecked market forces. At its core, socialism advocates for the means of production to be structured in a way that benefits society as a whole rather than serving only private interests. This often translates to better working conditions, expanded social benefits, and more leisure time—goals rooted in democratic and moral ideals.
A common misconception is that socialism and communism are the same. While they share certain aspects, they differ significantly in execution. Socialism focuses on wealth redistribution to improve living conditions for as many people as possible, often through progressive taxation, public services, and regulated industries. Communism, on the other hand, seeks to abolish private ownership of the means of production altogether, replacing it with collective ownership—factories, land, and resources controlled by the community as a whole rather than individuals or corporations. Both systems fundamentally challenge capitalism, but they do so in distinct ways.
The contrast between these economic systems and capitalism is summed up well by Brazilian Catholic Archbishop Hélder Câmara, who famously said, “When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why they are poor, they call me a communist.”
Nowhere in these definitions do we find dictatorship, anti-American sentiment, or any of the so-called “evils” often associated with socialism. At its heart, socialism is about ensuring that no one is left behind—an attempt to create a society where basic needs are met and economic inequality is minimized. Should a society prioritize profit over people?
