Do you think that your society operates under the individual responsibility or social responsibilty paradigm? Why? Do you think there are trends towards one or the other? Are they complete alternatives? If they are do you think they are competiting and incompatible or complimentary to one another?
I have read one source at least which suggested along with co-operation, planning and I think democracy that social responsibility was a corner stone of socialism, the book was from the seventies and I think probably written at a time when the left wing was trying to adjust to the popularity of certain principles the right wing had laid exclusive claim to (had been allowed to lay exclusive claim to I would say) such as personal responsibility. The mood of that time seems to have been that whatever was considered right wing, if you were "agin" (against) the right wing then you endorsed the opposite.
I actually dont believe that, I know of at least one earlier socialist theorist, GDH Cole who would've been confused by that, he was a big, big proponent of personal or individual responsibilty, in fact saw it as both fact and principle, and requisite to democracy or socialism as alternatives to the sorts of servility which he didnt like and believed characterised capitalism and class stratification.
There are, I think, tendencies globally and locally towards a sort of "socialising" of responsibilty, that is to say there is less personal responsibility, even at times when personal responsibility is popular with political pundits, at least those making cuts to public spending, and I think its not a conscious or deliberative thing.
I have read one source at least which suggested along with co-operation, planning and I think democracy that social responsibility was a corner stone of socialism, the book was from the seventies and I think probably written at a time when the left wing was trying to adjust to the popularity of certain principles the right wing had laid exclusive claim to (had been allowed to lay exclusive claim to I would say) such as personal responsibility. The mood of that time seems to have been that whatever was considered right wing, if you were "agin" (against) the right wing then you endorsed the opposite.
I actually dont believe that, I know of at least one earlier socialist theorist, GDH Cole who would've been confused by that, he was a big, big proponent of personal or individual responsibilty, in fact saw it as both fact and principle, and requisite to democracy or socialism as alternatives to the sorts of servility which he didnt like and believed characterised capitalism and class stratification.
There are, I think, tendencies globally and locally towards a sort of "socialising" of responsibilty, that is to say there is less personal responsibility, even at times when personal responsibility is popular with political pundits, at least those making cuts to public spending, and I think its not a conscious or deliberative thing.