Abstract
A look at the problems that face the world which include wars, disease, and injustice among others would prompt a re-evaluation of the social system that is in place. It is evident that the system has not led to an overall improvement in humanity. The common underlying factor among the various social ills that face the world today is the adoption of capitalism as the predominant mode of production and social ordering. The need to outdo the competition and maximize productivity in order to increase profits as the primary motivation for capitalism makes the system susceptible to abuse hence the societal problems. While there is an appreciation that some changes are necessary to the system, whether such changes should include a complete overhaul or mere adjustments in bits and pieces is still up for debate. However, a wholesale application of change in the system might not necessarily yield the best results and as such there is need to integrate some elements of the current system and those of socialism through an expanded welfare state in order to ensure that there is no uncontrolled capitalism which would ultimately lead to a reduction in the social ills that face the world today.
It is an undeniable fact that there is a lot of extreme suffering in the world today which is as a result of manmade factors as opposed to natural factors. The suffering is exemplified by the spread of disease, wars, injustice, and environmental degradation among other social ills. As time progresses, there is an increasing urgency to resolve the underlying causes of such social ills in order to avoid a complete breakdown of the social structures and social order which would ultimately return the world to the age of barbarism presumably towards the turn of the next century. However, in order to solve the problems that arise out of the deficiencies posed by the current social system, there is need to determine the root cause of such problems. While it is true that an overhaul of the world either as a whole or in part cannot yield an ideal society, any change that would lead to the greatest good applying to the greatest cross section of the society would be beneficial (Schneible).
Such a change rather than advocating for a complete overhaul of the social system would have to incorporate elements of the current system (in which capitalism is the predominant form of social ordering) and socialist principles in order to gain from the synergies of both systems. Before having a look at the necessary changes to the social systems meant to improve humanity, it is important to evaluate the root cause of the problems that exist. Most of the problems can be attributed to capitalism as the predominant mode of production. Capitalism presupposes that most of the problems that humanity faces can be solved by merely raising the productivity and profits of corporations yet it is the same misconception that has led to wars, disease, and other forms of consequences that exemplify human suffering. This is because it is the attempt to maximize productivity and profits that creates such a high competition for resources (Alestalo, Hort & Kuhnle, 26).
As a result, wars and environmental degradation become the norm. Most of the wars that are waged in the twenty first century lack any underlying rationale and the reasons often advanced for such wars are merely a pretext for competition to acquire resources. Capitalism in its inherent nature also encourages greed and as a result there is no motivation to solve most of the societal problems such as disease and crime since there are those that benefit from the same. As a result of the greed that capitalism breeds, there is inequality which further contributes to the cycle of poverty and injustice that is experienced across the globe. In fact, it is fair to assume that capitalism has hindered the creation of a perfect society.
Following an appreciation of the problem, the next logical step would be to determine whether the world needs a complete overhaul or whether such problems can be broken down and dealt with in bits and pieces. A complete overhaul of the social system would then necessitate the complete breakdown of capitalism as the predominant mode of production in order to avoid a complete annihilation of the society.
However, such an attempt at a wholesale in the social system would certainly fail due to vested interests by those that control the means of production and in extension the national and global polity. As a result, there should be a progressive move towards a hybrid system in which practical elements of capitalism are incorporated with practical elements of socialism as a means of production and social ordering (Schraad-Tischler & Kroll, 66). The success of such a system is illustrated a majority of the Scandinavian countries in which a strong welfare state is fused with capitalism (Ansiello, 38). As a result, the extent of adverse effects such as disease and injustice on the people of such nations is relatively low when compared to the rest of the world where capitalism is billed as the exclusive social system.
Secondly, a complete overhaul of the social system from the status quo which in this case is aligned with capitalism might not necessarily solve the problems that humanity faces. This is because despite the deficiencies of capitalism as a mode of production and social ordering, it has some benefits. This is especially the case in regard to increasing the level of efficiency in economic production which in turn leads to a relative increase in the standards of living through an increase in wages and improved technologies that make life easier. It also moves the society more towards egalitarianism in which people have equal rights and freedom of choice (Schneible). It is therefore the case that the few aspects of capitalism that need to be addressed include the notion that humanity can profit from the exploitation of natural resources (and in extension the people themselves) for an indefinite period. There should be an increasing realization that such resources are not limitless and as such sharing and in essence embracing some elements of socialism would eliminate the uncontrolled capitalism that is the cause of an unequal and unjust society.
The world also has precedence in solving societal ills which did not involve a complete overhaul of the social system. Following the First and Second World Wars, there was a move towards more integration especially in Europe where the consequences of the war were the greatest. The integration, which resulted in the formation of the present day European Union, was coupled with coupled with an expansion of the welfare state which was meant to assist those affected by the war. The welfare state continues to this day. While the results of the integration are not completely positive, it is evident that the situation in Europe today in terms of societal ills such as wars, disease, injustice, poverty, and environmental degradation is relatively better when compared to other regions where no concrete move towards integration exists (Schraad-Tischler & Kroll, 94).
It is therefore the case that no piecemeal approach towards solving the problems that society faces is possible which would justify the need to solve such problems in bits and pieces instead of a complete overhaul of the social system. As is the case with most radical changes, a complete overhaul may not be readily acceptable even by those that may not be favored by the current system. It is because of the inherent nature of human beings to prefer things that are familiar to them as opposed to new ideas. Given that a huge proportion of the world’s population has lived in the age of capitalism as the predominant social system, a complete move towards socialism may not be embraced.
The solution is to therefore take a step by step approach which in the modern times is aided by the increasing realization that the current system continues to alienate more people and increase societal ills. The international polity led by global institutions such as the United Nations (UN) should therefore take the lead in pushing for a more integrated society with an expanded welfare state (Schraad-Tischler &Kroll, 95). Such as a system would ensure that even those that do not have access to equal opportunities as envisaged by capitalism can have a share of the benefits that arise out of the system hence reducing inequality. The impact of reducing inequality through embracing socialist principles would reduce instances of war, poverty, and injustice which are brought about by the scramble for scarce resources. The perception of equality would therefore lower the urge for competition while at the same time allowing the efficiency occasioned by capitalism as a mode of production to continue (Alestalo, Hort, & Kuhnle, 24).
Works Cited
Alestalo, Matti, Sven Hort and Stein. Kuhnle. The Nordic model: Conditions, Origins,
Outcomes, Lessons. Hertie School of Governance. June, 2009. Web. June 23, 2016
Ansiello, Remy. “Scandinavian Dream: A Region’s Common Philosophical Principles Resulting
in Equality, Prosperity, and Social Justice.” Rollins College. 2011. Web. June 23, 2016
Schneible, Ann. “Achieving the Ideal Society”. Zenit. April 26, 2012. Web. June 23, 2016
Schraad-Tischler, Daniel & Kroll, Christian. Social Justice in the EU – A Cross-national
Comparison. Sustainable governance indicators 2015. Web. June 23, 2016
