The Northwest worker. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1915-1917, 1915-08-05
Historical and Economic Basis
of Scientific Socialism


Socialism may be briefly defined
as an enquiry into human society, Its
origin, growth and functions, and the
conolusious to be logically drawn
! therefrom.
Such an enquiry cannot be com
menoed without correct understand
II ing of the term Society. This cannot
be better arrived at than by compari-
son with an analogy from the field of
biology. There is certain species of
jellyfish which, upon examination, Is
found to be not much an individual in
itself, but rather colony living to-
gether for mutual benefit. Each OF
the members of this colony the biolo-
gists have aptly termed person
These persons together form the COM
plete jellyfish, each having and per-
forming its own functions. One floats
the colony, others propel 1t through
the water, others again capture the
food and yet others digest 1t. No one
of them, however, Is capable of per-
forming all these functions and is
therefore capable of sustaining life
alone. The life of each Is indissolu.
bly, bound up in the life of the whole.
Just such is human society. A num-
Der of persons living together for the
purpose of supplying their wants. And
in the present highly organized state
Of society no individual Is capable Of
supplying his wants except with the
cooperation of society as whole.
The realization OF this fact that hu.
man society exists for the purpose Of
supplying human needs, is the keynote
to Socialism. Too much stress can
not be laid upon it, for 1t is the basic
principle of economic determinism.
To the manner in which the means of
life are produced and distributed the
structure OF society must conform
Changes in the methods of production
and distribution must be met by
changes in the social structure. And
that form of society which cannot
change to meet the new conditions
must perish.
To contend that society Is today as
it always was, and will always be as
it is today is to confess to a COM
plete ignorance of history itself, a
brief outline of which from the view
point of economic determinism would
not here be out of place.
Man and His History.
Just how long mankind has inhabit-
ed the earth is not known. 1t is sare
to assume, however, that 1t has been
many thousands of years. The most
careful research into the history of
the human race shows conclusively
full creature as we know him today,
with his highly developed faculties and
his marvellous command over the
forces of nature. 1t is generally con-
ceded that back in remote antiquity
he was low down in the scale of being,
with ill-developed faculties, and in fact
with little to distinguish him in habit
and instinct from other animals that
roamed the earth at that time. AS he
emerged from among the lower anil
mails, he did so by taking on one Pc
culiar characteristic or habit, which
has proven the distinguishing mark
separating him from all other animal
kind. That is, he makes and uses tools
with which to obtain his living. All
others rely solely upon the means
with which nature has supplied them
teeth, claws, etc.
Man, then, is a tool-using animal.
When he first raised himself above the
balance of animal kind, the tools with
which he made his living were of nee
essity primitive and puny. Very like
ly sharp stone or stick, by aid of
which he dug a root or killed some
weaker animal for the purpose of
satisfying his appetite was the most
primitive tool of ancient man. Hav-
ing adopted this primitive tool he
opened out before himself career
that was destined to eventually make
him not only master of all animal
kind, but master of the forces of ma,
ture as well.
The history of mankind could be
written in industrial terms. In fact 1t
cannot be correctly written in any
other. The history of the human race
is history of the growth and develop
ment of the means and method where.
by mankind feeds, clothes and shell
tiers itself.
Human society and it's institutions
are but a reflex of this economic basis.
Social institutions, ethics, morals and
religions of any given period are only
such as are made possible by the econ
omic deVelODment of that time