Why Utopian Socialism?

Utopian Socialism. The term was coined by Marx and Engels as one of derision. Someone perusing this site’s material may therefore wonder why we choose to make use of it ourselves. Well, there are a few reasons. The first is that the term ‘anarchism’ (as in anarcho-communism) is a problematic. Every discussion on anarchism invariably breaks down into interminable squabbling over the precise definition of the term, or the exact nuance of its use. I simply don’t have the patience for all that nonsense and thus avoid using it if possible. The term ‘libertarian’ (as in libertarian socialism) also has its problems. The chance of being confused in some way with the Libertarian Party and their ilk is too great. So I avoid using that one as well. 

The term ‘Utopian Socialism’, by contrast, is pretty unambiguous in its meaning. Everyone who has more than a passing acquaintance with the term knows, pretty much, just what it means. You don’t have to spend a lot of time clarifying your terms, or worrying that you’ll end up being confused with some other obnoxious faction. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that people don’t have  a lot of preconceived notions of what the term means, as many people do with anarchism and libertarianism. A simple explanation of the term is sufficient to allow business to proceed. 

But perhaps the greatest attraction of the term is precisely the fact that Marx and Engels intended it as a derisive one. As someone who goes to great lengths to point out the failings of the dynamic duo’s own brand of “scientific socialism”, I want a term that clearly sets us apart. What better way to do that than to commandeer their own term and use it against them? It’s similar to how the LGBTQ community appropriated the term ‘queer’ and turned it from being a pejorative into a positive one they have embraced themselves. Plus I don’t see anything wrong with being utopian. You have to dream big, even if the odds seem stacked hopelessly against you.