Socialism

The clash between capitalism and socialism is one of the most prominent features on the intellectual map of the contemporary world. It permeates the academic disciplines that comprise the humanities and social sciences, and looms large in public discourse about cultural and political issues. The debate about capitalism and socialism is more than a debate over two economic systems. It is a debate about two radically different ways of organizing our collective affairs. The essays in this volume address some of the questions that arise out of one of these systems - socialism. Some investigate the variety of ownership schemes that have been advanced as socialist alternatives to private property. Others investigate the nature of morality under socialism, or consider the connection between socialism and such specific ideals as community or democracy. Others are concerned with various issues of economic theory raised by the proposal that we replace the market with some other set of economic institutions. Together, these essays delineate some of the issues and concepts that are central to the ongoing debate between capitalism and socialism.