Systemic Socialism: A Model of the Models

Abstract

Ameliorative socialism is a set of democratic, egalitarian and humane values. Systemic socialism, by contrast, projects the general features of a social structure distinct from capitalism — a qualitatively different and superior way of organizing the core metabolic processes of society's production and reproduction. Diverse models of systemic socialism have been debated. These vary widely in their conceptions of organization — from highly central to completely decentralized; and in the mode of regulation envisioned — from entirely quantitative to reliant on qualitative political relations. It is now high time to search for the connections among the various models, in the interest of convergence toward an inclusive and rigorous scientific foundation for democratic advance and ever-greater fulfillment of human potential. The proposed model, “Multilevel Democratic Iterative Coordination” (MDIC), offers the best prospects for synthesis and progress in the envisioning of systemic socialism.