Socialism: Trials and Errors

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of social change, the capitalist views such interference as an unfortunate but necessary compromise with an ideal. Recognition of necessity and stirrings of conscience will continue to spur the capitalist to embrace some of those demands for social justice advanced by socialism.

In his ongoing debate with the socialist, the capitalist is at a disadvantage, unable to compete rhetorically with socialist idealism.

In place of state control, the capitalist argues for the unpredictable mechanism of the marketplace. It may be a flawed instrument, but there is ample evidence that

it provides the most efficient

allocation of the globe's scarce resources, as well as material incentive for individual hard work and creativity. Instead of a noble "new man," capitalism offers only the "old man," whose self-interest in profit —even though it may be condemned as greed—will ultimately benefit the commonweal. When assessed this way, it is no surprise that the capitalist reality can be made to sound less appealing than the socialist dream.

A strong argument can be made that capitalism, by acknowledging the primal power of self-interest and recognizing the disparities among human beings, accurately reflects life's realities, and that socialism is fundamentally Utopian. The socialist vision, which in its Marxist version is cloaked as a "scientific" law of history, suggests that under a right and just system all men can become the secular equivalent of saints, choosing to work in harmony for a common goal. The quintessential capitalist, whether or not he is religious, rejects the idea of man's perfectibility on earth and asks the socialist this question: If and when men become saints, socialism might indeed be able to fulfill its promise; but if sanctity were universal, would there be any need for socialism?