The Necessary Basis of Society

In "The Necessary Basis of Society", Webb advises against the excessive individualism and deregulation that are characteristic of laissez-faire capitalism. He insists that robust social services, a state-provided social safety net, and a general ethos of collectivist sentiment throughout the population will lay a sturdier societal foundation than one built exclusively with self-interest and competition. A government with a collectivist bent to it is better prepared to stave off the civilization-crumbling effects of excessive inequality and exploitation that are characteristic of unrestrained capitalism. While Webb is an active socialist scholar, his warning in this essay is intentionally presented in historical and economic terms (instead of ideological or moral terms), in an effort to appeal to anyone with any kind of political disposition.

Summary written by August Smith