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Alternative Explanations of Reality under Capitalism Part 1 | |||||
Alternative Paradigms | Human Goals | Market Exchange Economy | Nature of Societal Problems | Role of State | Social Change |
Conservative |
Maximum personal liberty and material well-being | Harmonious state of equilibrium: created by supply and demand forces | 1) Individuals: lack of motivation, unrealistic demands,
culture of poverty, racial inferiority; 2) Government interference in the economy | Ideally, only police power to maintain law and order so that the market can work freely | Gradual change results from individual interactions in the market place |
Liberal |
Individual equality and social justice: equal opportunity | State of equilibrium, achievable with government involvement in the economy | 1) Monopolistic tendencies in major economic sectors;
2) Insufficient and inappropriate government programs | Police power and offsetting inadequacies in the economy whenever basic human needs and social justice are not achieved | Rapid change through government actions |
Radicals |
Social equality: from each according to one's ability, to each according to one's need | Contradictions and crises of production and consumption; exploitation of workers; irrational allocation of natural and human resources | Private ownership of resources; production for profit rather than for human use; alienation; class conflict; unequal regional development | Police and economic power is used to maintain and enhance capitalism | Revolutionary change through mass movements to transform society's structure and values |
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Popular and academic
examples of the three ideological paradigms are also available. Source: Ingolf Vogeler and Anthony de Souza, editors, Dialectics of Third World Development (New York: Allanheld, Osmun & Co. Publishers, Inc., 1980) | |||||
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Created by Ingolf Vogeler on 7 September 2001; last revised on 08 November 2010.
