Overview

Tackling perhaps the most contentious and socially urgent political movement of the last century, Scott R. Sehon lays bare the arguments for and against socialism, investigating their logical scaffolding and revealing exactly what is assumed in charged and often vital discussions of labor conditions and human well-being. Sehon provides a straightforward presentation and logical analysis of the arguments to make very clear which arguments work, and which do not.While the book aims to be fair to the arguments from both sides, Sehon ultimately sides with socialism and maintains that the arguments indicate that we should move in a strongly democratic socialist direction. Nearly every contemporary counterclaim to socialism is addressed and interrogated, and even the more dubious arguments in favor of socialism are taken up. Naturally, the defender of capitalism will deny these premises and claim that capitalism better promotes human well-being; many capitalists also claim that socialism does violate individual rights, particularly property rights. The bulk of the book sorts through the data and arguments on both sides, considering arguments from philosophers such as G.A. Cohen, Ronald Dworkin, David Schweickart, John Tomasi, and Jonathan Wolff, as well as prominent economists such as Milton Friedman and F.A. Hayek. The reader of Socialism will find a clear introduction to one of the most crucial social movements of our time.

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9780197753347

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Reviews

If you think a logical introduction to socialism must be dry or difficult, Scott Sehon will make you think again. With prose that is infectious, often witty, and crystal clear, Sehon provides powerful economic and moral arguments that will support those who are already leaning towards socialism and surprise those who are not. If you haven't been convinced after reading this book, you'd better have some very good reasons why. * Susan Neiman, Author of Left Is Not Woke and Learning from the Germans: Race and the Memory of Evil * Academic socialists often couch their arguments in impenetrable language. Socialism: A Logical Introduction dispenses with jargon and presents the socialist view of economics, political science, and ethics in plain, simple-to-understand language, so readers can easily see what's at stake. This book will serve as a valuable means of allowing good faith people of all sides to talk to each other rather than past each other. * Jason Brennan, Author of Democracy: A Guided Tour and Libertarianism: What Everyone Needs to Know. * Lucid, smart, and meticulously researched, Socialism: A Logical Introduction by Scott Sehon is a gift to students, general readers, and specialists alike. Serving as both an accessible philosophical introduction to socialism and a powerful defense of its principles, this book is an inspiring tribute to the power and beauty of clear thinking. * Sam Arnold, Associate Professor of Political Science, Texas Christian University * Scott Sehon has produced a powerful and refreshingly clear introduction to the arguments for socialism. Getting beyond sloganeering, he offers an intellectually serious explanation and defense of the socialist project. Any critic of socialism needs to reckon with the compelling, tightly-reasoned case that Sehon provides. He takes the arguments of his opponents seriously, but then systematically dismantles them. * Nathan Robinson, Editor-in-chief of Current Affairs and author of Why You Should Be a Socialist *

Author Information

Scott Sehon is the Joseph E. Merrill Professor of Philosophy at Bowdoin College, where he has been teaching for over 30 years. He is the author of Free Will and Action Explanation: a Non-Causal, Compatibilist Account (Oxford University Press, 2016) and Teleological Realism: Mind, Agency, and Explanation (MIT Press, 2005), and has appeared in such journals as American Philosophical Quarterly and Philosophical Issues. He has also written for Jacobin, Mises Institute: Power & Market Blog, and Aeon.

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