Socialism: Utopian and Scientific [Paperback]

Frederick Engels (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1989

Modern socialism is not a doctrine, Engels explains, but a working-class movement growing out of the establishment of large-scale capitalist industry and its social consequences.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Engels' Feuerbach contains by far the best account of the development of his and Marx's mind from Hegelianism to their own theory of Dialectical Materialism.”–New Statesman & Nation --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: German

Product Details

• Paperback: 86 pages
• Publisher: Pathfinder Pr; 2nd Revised edition edition (June 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0873485793
• ISBN-13: 978-0873485791
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,777,518 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #55 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Nonfiction > Social Sciences > Anthropology > Cultural

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great weapon for fighting for change, June 12, 2006

By 

Tony Thomas (SUNNY ISLES BEACH, FL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Socialism: Utopian and Scientific (Paperback)

This pamphlet was selected by Marx and Engels from Engel's large book _Anti-Duhring_ Along with the Communist Manifesto, Socialist Scientific and Utopian constitutes the basic foundation, the easy to understand, exciting to read, and profound primer for the revolutionary working class point of view, scientific socialism that Marx and Engels founded. It links their political and philosophic views in a clear and concise and very readable booklet.

Engels provides not simply a discussion of utopian socialism and its differences with scientific socialism, but does it in a way that outlines why the ruling capitalist class of modern society will not cede power to working people peacefully, why this society is so forcefully organized to preserve the exploitation and oppression working people, women, oppressed peoples, and the former colonial countries face at the hands of the big business interests of the US, Europe, and Japan.

I might add that one of the unexpected joys of reading this and the rest of Anti-Duhring is that despite the philosophical and political rigor and seriousness, Engels is always able to put in a little humor and a little wit.

While this book is not always available on Amazon, it is always available from BooksfromPathfinder, an Amazon Z store that you can get to by clicking on New and Used further up this page!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars what the "Venus Project" and others fail to confront, October 25, 2009

By 

Truth Seeker (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Socialism: Utopian and Scientific (Paperback)

This work is a very basic intro to dialectical materialism and historical materialism. It should be looked at again with fresh eyes, as the utter catastrophe for humanity that CAPITALISM is has become obvious for all. Too many people today are not using a scientific methodology to look at historical experience and today's reality. Venus Project? "Socially responsible corporations?" -- it was all tried before, and summed up brilliantly in this pamplet. Robert Owens came up against the fact that the STATE (the government, it's courts, police and all its armed forces) is not a neutral body standing above classes, but in fact is controlled and serves the dominate class of society, which today continues to be the capitalist class (and many have documented who the individuals are in these classes in the US and other countries today.)
The fact that today, the economy of the world is dominated by finance capital and monopolies that spread across the world (while still rooted in individual nations and protected by national armies, CIA's, etc)is a natural and inevitable product of the workings of the "free market" competition of capital.
I recommend also looking at Lenin's "Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism" and Bob Avakian's "Communism and Jeffersonian Democracy" for some other basic explanations of why these Utopian schemes are doomed to failure, and why proletarian revolution can enable us to embark on the road out of this. Also see Raymond Lotta's work on both today's economic crisis and the historical experience of socialism.

12 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Quick, easy, lightweight intro to Socialism, October 23, 2000

By 

JP Marston - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Socialism: Utopian and Scientific (Paperback)

If you are looking for a book to bolster your defense of, or attack upon, socialism, this is not the book for you. Instead, this short read provides an easy introduction into the development of Socialism, from its idealistic early proponents to those later in the 19th century attempting to define a more realistic socialism.

While Engels provides an overview of the "superiority" of socialism over capitalism, his arguments helped me to understand the motivation for socialism, rather than providing a rigorous defense.

As a libertarian, I don't agree with Engels that the capitalist exploits the wage laborer -- I think the stronger argument can be made that the capitalist enables the wage laborer -- but Engels does present his position clearly.

If you are looking for a good, short introduction to socialism, this is the book for you.