Socialism: Positive and Negative

Bold and provocative, Socialism: Positive and Negative by Robert Rives La Monte gathers a series of early 20th-century essays that confront socialism’s promises and pitfalls with intellectual rigor. Written against the backdrop of rising labor movements and intense debates over Darwinism and Marxism, La Monte examines socialism through lenses of science, ethics, materialism, and political strategy. Essays such as "Science and Socialism" and "Marxism and Ethics" explore whether socialist theory can rest on scientific grounds and what moral aims it should pursue, while other pieces grapple with nihilism, the biogenetic law, and the revolutionary temperament of the movement. La Monte’s voice is candid and reflective: he acknowledges shifts in his own thinking over time and argues for transparent, audacious debate rather than hidden doctrines. The collection blends historical context with philosophical inquiry, showing how political ideals meet scientific claims and ethical dilemmas. Ideal for students of political theory, historians of socialism, activists, and listeners curious about the intersection of politics and ideas, this politics audiobook offers a compact, thought-provoking snapshot of socialist thought at a pivotal moment in modern history.