Suchergebnisse

A personal view of socialism is presented that grew out of the failure of capitalism during the Great Depression. The basic values that motivated a preference for socialism over capitalism are: (1) efficiency in resource use; (2) avoidance of war & other corruptions in the pursuit of profits; (3) freedom from control by a few elite; (4) income & power equally distributed; & (5) encouragement of cooperative, rather than competitive, motives. P. Montgomery.

Reflections are offered on the descriptive & prescriptive issues raised by Richard Titmuss, THE GIFT RELATIONSHIP: FROM HUMAN BLOOD TO SOCIAL POLICY (London & New York: 1971). The starting point of Titmuss' analysis & reflections is the basic fact that in the UK the supplying of blood for transfusions is completely voluntary & unpaid, while in the US there is a mixed system with both commercial & noncommercial blood banks & with payments of various kinds. Titmuss deduces from this that the UK is a broadly altruistic society, while the US is not. However, it is pointed out that even in the UK only 6% give blood. Titmuss does present evidence that a world of giving may actually increase efficiency in the operation of the econ system. Aspects of inefficiency in the US system of blood donorship are discussed, in the light of I. Kant's categorical imperative & it is suggested that this imperative (which is a moral one) & the econ price system are essential complements. For Titmuss the marketplace is basically subversive of the ideal soc order, but the UK system may also spell trouble & be not as altruistic as it appears. Titmuss' thinking that commercialism may increasingly damage the entire soc system is shown to rest on shaky evidence. Titmuss' empirical methodology leaves much to be desired & many of his points are not in any way established. He uses data carefully in some places but loosely in others. On several points he makes statements about the US without even bothering to compare the situation with that in the UK. But, despite its flaws, the book is a resonant evocation of central problems of soc value. M. Maxfield.