Stephen Hicks16 May 2020

Socialism & Postmodernism For Dummies - Stephen Hicks - #171

0Frameworks

9Insights

Insights & moments

The myth-busts, hot takes, explainers, and tools worth keeping.

Myth Buster· 2

Myth Buster16:00

Why Socialism Has a Bad Reputation

Contrary to being just a political slur, socialism carries negative connotations because of its historical track record. Major 20th-century experiments in the Soviet Union, China, and Cuba led to mass repression, starvation, and economic failure, which explains widespread skepticism today.

Soviet Union: 70-year experiment, millions killed, widespread poverty.
China under Mao: mass starvation and political repression.
Cuba and other nations followed similar patterns.
Critics demand socialists confront this history before advocating revival.

“The human rights track record and the economic track record of the Soviet Union was a disaster.”
Stephen Hicks · 17:00

#socialism#history#Soviet Union#Maoism

Myth Buster40:00

Post-Modernism Rose to Defend Failing Socialism

Post-modernism emerged as an intellectual strategy for leftists to preserve socialist ideals after real-world experiments failed. Unable to defend socialism on rational or empirical grounds, they adopted relativism, anti-reason, and identity politics to shield the ideology from criticism.

First-generation post-modernists were far-left socialists.
As socialism failed, they needed new ways to defend it.
Post-modernism provided tools: truth is relative, reason is oppressive.
It allowed continued loyalty to socialism despite its track record.

“The failure of socialism made post-modernism necessary.”
Stephen Hicks · 39:00

#post-modernism#socialism#intellectual history#relativism

Hot Take· 1

Hot Take23:00

Post-Modernism Is a Luxury of the Prosperous

Post-modernism thrives primarily in wealthy, stable societies. In poorer or post-socialist nations, people tend to favor practical, reality-based systems like free markets and liberal democracy because they deliver tangible improvements in living standards.

Post-modernism is largely confined to well-off Western nations.
Poorer countries prioritize economic growth and stability over theory.
Eastern Europeans who lived under socialism reject post-modernism.
It's a luxury that depends on prior success of modern institutions.

“Post-modernism has much less traction in Eastern Europe... they're much more attracted to individualism and liberal democracy.”
Stephen Hicks · 24:30

#post-modernism#economics#global perspective#privilege

Explainer· 3

Explainer01:30

What Post-Modernism Really Means

Stephen Hicks explains that post-modernism is a philosophical movement that emerged after the 'modern' era, which began around 500 years ago with revolutions in science, art, religion, and politics. Post-modernists argue that the modern world—defined by science, individualism, democracy, and capitalism—has failed and should be rejected in favor of new social models.

Post-modernism means 'after modernism' and rejects the last 500 years of Western progress.
Modernism includes breakthroughs like Copernicus, da Vinci, Vesalius, and the Reformation.
Post-modernists see the modern world as fundamentally flawed or disastrous.
They oppose capitalism, liberal democracy, science, technology, and individualism.

“The post-moderns are going to be arguing... we think the modern world has been a mistake.”
Stephen Hicks · 04:30

#post-modernism#philosophy#modernism#Western thought

Explainer08:30

The Core Idea Behind Socialism

Hicks defines socialism as a philosophy that prioritizes the social group over the individual. Unlike individualist systems that value personal freedom and choice, socialism holds that individuals should subordinate their interests to the collective, especially in economic and political decision-making.

Socialism prioritizes the group over the individual.
It rejects individual autonomy in favor of collective decisions.
This applies not just to economics but to identity, religion, and politics.
Contrasts with Protestant individualism vs. Catholic institutional loyalty.

“We should always prioritize the social over the individual. The group is more important than the individual.”
Stephen Hicks · 09:30

#socialism#individualism#collectivism#political philosophy

Explainer31:00

Why Socialism Fails When It Scales

As socialist communities grow beyond ~150 people, they require centralized decision-making bodies. These small groups gain disproportionate power, leading to bureaucracy, abuse, and eventual dictatorship. The need to enforce resource distribution undermines freedom.

Small groups can govern by consensus; large ones require delegation.
Delegated councils become powerful minorities over time.
Power tends to concentrate and protect itself.
At scale, socialism becomes authoritarian by necessity.

“Once they have power, the minority will start passing legislation that will protect their power and increase their power.”
Stephen Hicks · 32:30

#socialism#governance#power#authoritarianism

Story· 1

Story48:00

Why It's So Hard to Admit You're Wrong

Hicks argues that refusing to admit error—especially in politics and philosophy—is often due to ego fragility. Strong minds recognize mistakes as part of learning, while weak ones double down. He urges people to practice publicly admitting error as a form of intellectual strength.

Admitting error feels like ego destruction.
Strong people see mistakes as part of growth.
Intellectual honesty requires re-examining early beliefs.
Publicly saying 'I was wrong' is a powerful exercise.

“The calmness that you end up with... is the sign of strength. To say 'I made a mistake' is not to think less of yourself.”
Stephen Hicks · 51:00

#ego#intellectual honesty#cognitive bias#growth

Takeaway· 2

Takeaway27:00

Socialism Can Work — But Only at Small Scale

While large-scale socialism has consistently failed, small voluntary communities—like monasteries or hippie communes—can sustain socialist principles when they remain under ~150 people and are based on shared values and voluntary participation.

Religious communes (e.g., monasteries) have long succeeded under socialism.
Secular communes in California and Oregon have also lasted generations.
Success depends on small size, shared goals, and voluntary membership.
Problems arise when scaling up due to power concentration and enforcement.

“If your community is no larger than say a hundred people or so... you can have a pretty long-lived socialistic community.”
Stephen Hicks · 28:00

#socialism#communes#voluntary society#scale

Takeaway35:00

Liberal Societies Protect Individual Freedoms

Liberal democracies limit majority rule to protect individual rights. By separating powers and making certain issues non-voteable (like religion or marriage), they prevent tyranny of the majority. Socialist systems cannot do this because they subordinate all decisions to the collective.

Liberal societies separate legislative, executive, and judicial powers.
They constitutionally protect individual choices (religion, marriage, etc.).
Socialist principles reject individual rights in favor of social decisions.
This makes long-term protection of freedom impossible under socialism.

“There are no protections for individual freedom in the long run [under socialism].”
Stephen Hicks · 36:30

#liberalism#democracy#individual rights#tyranny