LESSON 12: Political Doctrines (Part 1)

Lesson Objectives (KSA):

At the end of the session, students should be able to:
a) Identify some political doctrines;
b) Reflect on the advantages and disadvantages of a particular doctrine to the Filipino society;
and
c) Demonstrate concern for the poor and the marginalized affected by capitalism

1) EGALITARIAN JUSTICE
• favors equality of some sort,
• Equality here is in terms of a) self-worth/dignity and b) access to
goods and services from the government.
• People should get the same, or be treated the same, or be treated
as equals.
• All human persons are equal in fundamental worth or dignity.
• For the Christian notion that God loves all human beings equally.
• The term is derived from the French word ‘egal,’ meaning ‘equal’ or ‘

2)

SOCIALIST JUSTICE (Socialism/Communism)

● Socialists take equality to be the ultimate political
ideal.
● History of Socialism/Communism:
○ Socialism/Socialism was inspired by the written Communist
Manifesto of Karl Marx (1818-1883).
○ In March 1917, the army garrison at Petrograd joined striking
workers in demanding socialist reforms, and Czar Nicholas II was
forced to abdicate.
○ The State Duma (one of the chambers of the Russian parliament,

the Federal Assembly) took over.

o Vladimir Lenin launched in 1917 the Bolshevik Revolution which

toppled the State Duma and established a communist
government later called USSR in Russia.
o 61,911,000 people were murdered by the Soviet Socialists.
o The Chinese Communist Revolution followed. It was led by the
Communist Party Chairman, Mao Zedong, on 1 October 1949.
The Chinese communists murdered 38,702,000.

o New leaders started to create new rules in Russia which

eventually led to the collapse of the USSR.
o In the late 20th century, China was transformed into a market
socialism or democratic socialism.
● Communist Manifesto (1848)
- Karl Marx maintained that the abolition of bourgeois property
and bourgeois family structure is a necessary first requirement
for building a society that accords with the political ideal of
equality.
• Marx’s requirements to build a society based upon the political
ideal of equality, the distribution of goods and services:
1) Early stage of a communist society,
- distribution of social goods and services from the government
should conform to the principle “from each according to
his/her ability, to each according to his/her contributions.”
2) Highest stage of a communist society
- distribution of social goods and services from the government
should conform to the principle “from each according to
his/her ability,” to each according to his/her needs.

• Socialism
- is a populist economic and political system based on public
ownership
- also known as collective or common ownership of the means
of production, including the machinery, tools and factories
used to produce goods that aim to directly satisfy human
needs.
- workers receive their share after a percentage has been
deducted for the common good (transportation, defense, and
education, provision for the elderly, children and the PWDs)
- assumes that the basic nature of people is cooperative.
- capitalism or feudalism has forced people to be competitive.
- economic system must support this basic human nature of
cooperation.
Advantages of Socialism:
• The only system proven to eliminate poverty.
• Workers are no longer exploited, since all the means of
production is publicly owned.
• All profits are spread equitably among all workers, according to
his or her contribution.
• Children, old people and PWDs are well provided.
• There are no beggars and homeless on the street, every family is
provided with shelter.
• Everyone has equal access to health care, education and
transportation for free.
• Everyone student have access to whatever course they like for
free.
• If society needs jobs to be done that no one wants, it offers
higher compensation to make it worthwhile.
• Natural resources are preserved for the good of the whole.
Disadvantages of Socialism:
• It relies on the cooperative nature of humans to work, to that
effect, it ignores those within society who are competitive and
innovative.
• It doesn’t reward people for being entrepreneurial and
competitive.
• The government set up to represent the masses may abuse its
position and claim power for itself.
• People becomes lazy since all the basic needs of their children
are provided.
• Parents bears many children without control since basic needs
are provided to their children.
REFERENCE: Leaño, Gubia-on, Ocampo, (2018). Ethics for College Students. Mindshapers Company
Incorporated. Manila, Philippines.