Socialist World
What is 'moneyfree' socialism?
Central to the concept of socialism is the idea of common ownership, which means that the resources of the world are owned collectively by the entire global population. However, does it truly make sense for everyone to own everything in common? Some goods, like clothes, are typically for personal consumption rather than shared. This does not contradict the principle of a society based on common ownership, as people can still "own" personal possessions.
In practice, common ownership implies that everyone has the right to participate in decisions regarding how global resources are used. This means that no one can take personal control of resources beyond their own possessions. Therefore, democratic control is essential to the definition of socialism. It envisions a society where everyone can participate in the social decisions that impact their lives. These decisions can cover a wide array of issues, with one of the most vital being how to organize the production of goods and services.
Under socialism, production would serve primarily to meet human needs. With the natural and technical resources of the world held in common and managed democratically, the focus of production would be to satisfy these needs. This would lead to a system without buying, selling, or money. Instead, individuals would take freely from the resources that have been produced collectively. The old slogan “from each according to their ability, to each according to their needs” would apply.
But how would we determine what human needs are? This question brings us back to democracy, as society's choices would reflect its needs. These needs would vary across different cultures and individual preferences, but a democratic system could be designed to accommodate this diversity.
While we cannot predict the exact structure of this future global democracy, it will emerge from future democratic decisions. It is likely that decisions will need to be made at various levels—from local to global. This approach would facilitate streamlined democratic participation for individuals concerning the issues that matter most to them.
In a socialist society, everyone would have free access to the goods and services necessary to meet their needs, with no payment system required for the contributions individuals make to production. All work would be voluntary. By focusing on producing for needs, people would engage in work that has direct usefulness. This would foster satisfaction and offer greater opportunities to shape work patterns and conditions, leading to new attitudes toward labor.
Partnering With Technocrats
Socialists partnering with technocrats directly merges scientific efficiency with community values. In this model, the community sets the ethical goals and retains ultimate approval, while the experts handle the technical execution.
How Resource Approval Works in this System
Resource management follows a clear, two-step process that preserves community power:
- The Community Sets the Mandate: The community holds the ultimate decision-making power. For example, the community decides that a specific piece of land must be used to provide free food for the neighbourhood while protecting the local ecosystem.
- Experts Design the System: Scientists and engineers use data, ecology, and technology to figure out the most efficient, sustainable way to achieve that exact goal.
- The Community Approves the Plan: The experts present their data-driven options back to the community. The people retain the final veto or approval, ensuring the technology serves human well-being rather than just cold efficiency.
Aligning with God's Law and Community Care
This partnership solves major issues raised by both capitalism and pure technocracy, aligning closely with the values of community stewardship:
- Eliminating Profit and Greed: Socialism removes the profit motive. Land and resources are treated as shared assets to be managed for the common good, not bought and sold for individual wealth.
- Guarding Against Robot-Like Efficiency: Pure technocracy can treat humans like numbers in an equation. By making it "human-centric," the system ensures that spiritual, ethical, and community needs (like rest, beauty, and charity) are programmed into the goals from the very start.
- True Stewardship: This model treats scientific knowledge as a tool for better stewardship. It uses human intelligence to manage God's creation as effectively as possible, while leaving the moral authority in the hands of the community.
In economic theory, the system we are outlining is often referred to as a "De-monetised Ecological State." In this specific model:
- The Currency is Carbon: The ultimate limit of human activity is based purely on the planet's physical carrying capacity (carbon and resource budgets), not on artificial financial money.
- No Markets or Credits: Because goods and services are free and unconditional, there are no market prices, no tradeable carbon credits, and no monetary wealth. Production is planned strictly to meet the basic survival needs of all citizens within that carbon boundary.