The Soul of Man By Oscar Wilde"The Soul of Man under Socialism" is an
1891 essay by Oscar Wilde in which he expounds a libertarian socialist
worldview and a critique of charity.The writing of "The Soul of Man"
followed Wilde's conversion to anarchist philosophy, following his
reading of the works of Peter Kropotkin.In "The Soul of Man" Wilde
argues that, under capitalism, "the majority of people spoil their lives
by an unhealthy and exaggerated altruism-are forced, indeed, so to spoil
them" instead of realising their true talents, they waste their time
solving the social problems caused by capitalism, without taking their
common cause away. Thus, caring people "seriously and very sentimentally
set themselves to the task of remedying the evils that they see in
poverty but their remedies do not cure the disease: they merely prolong
it" because, as Wilde puts it, "the proper aim is to try and reconstruct
society on such a basis that poverty will be impossible."Wilde did not
see kindness or altruism per se as a problem what worried him was its
misapplication in a way which leaves unaddressed the roots of the
problem: "the altruistic virtues have really prevented the carrying out
of this aim. Just as the worst slave-owners were those who were kind to
their slaves, and so prevented the horror of the system being realised
by those who suffered from it, and understood by those who contemplated
it, so, in the present state of things in England, the people who do
most harm are the people who try to do most good" while preserving the
system.Wilde's deepest concern was with man's soul when he analysed
poverty and its causes and effects in "The Soul of Man under Socialism"
it was not simply the material well-being of the poor that distressed
him, but how society does not allow them to reach a form of
self-understanding and enlightenment. He adopted Jesus of Nazareth as a
symbol of the supreme individualist. Wilde advocated socialism, which,
he argued, "will be of value simply because it will lead to
individualism" and "substituting cooperation for competition will
restore society to its proper condition ... and ensure material well
being for each member of the community."Wilde examined the political
conditions necessary for full self-development and devotion to art,
arguing, "Art is individualism, and individualism is a disturbing and
disintegrating force. There lies its immense value.
