Howard Zinn's Personal Philosophy | Big Think

Howard Zinn's Personal Philosophy
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Howard Zinn explains democratic socialism.
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Howard Zinn/
Howard Zinn is a historian, political scientist, social critic, activist and playwright, best known as author of the bestseller A People's History of the United States.
Zinn has been active in the Civil Rights and anti-war movements in the United States.
The author of some 20 books, Zinn is currently Professor Emeritus in the Political Science Department at Boston University. He lives in Massachusetts with his wife, the artist Roslyn Zinn. The couple have two children, Myla and Jeff, and five grandchildren. Both artist and editor, Roslyn has had a role in editing all of Zinn's books and many of his articles.
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TRANSCRIPT:
Question: What is your philosophy?
Howard Zinn: I believe, I suppose, in what could be called democratic socialism. I believe that we need a society where the motive for the economic system is not corporate profit, but the motive is the welfare of people, health care, jobs, child care, and so on. But that is dominant. Where there is a greater equalization of wealth and a society which is peaceful, which devotes its resources to helping people in the country and elsewhere.
I believe in a world where war is no longer the recourse for the settling of grievances and problems. I believe in the wiping out of national boundaries.
I don’t believe in visas and passports and immigration quotas. I think we need to move toward a global society. They use the word “globalization,” but they use it in a very narrow sense to mean the freedom of corporations to move across boundaries. But what we need is a freedom of people and things to move across boundaries.
When I talk about socialism in our jails, I mean greater societal intervention into the economy, but without deprivation of civil liberties. Dalton Trumbo, the Hollywood writer, put it very simply. He said, “Socialism without jails.”
Question: How do you blend anarchism, socialism and communism?
Howard Zinn: I like to think of taking the best elements of all of them. If you separate communism from the Soviet Union and from those bureaucratic and totalitarian countries that call themselves Marxist or communist, and just treat communism as it was envisioned by Marx and Engels, ultimately a society where there would be a freedom of the individual and a rational use of the world’s resources. That’s something to take from communism.
From socialism I would take what I just described and that is the use of a democratically-elected government to equalize resources and help people.
I would take from anarchism the suspicion of authority and suspicion of all governments and the readiness to criticize and rebel against any government that may have started out in a humanitarian way, but they can easily become ossified and dictatorial. Anarchism has as its goal the idea of a decentralized society where individuals are free from the oppression of government and corporate power and the church.
I think there are elements in all three that are useful.
Question: Is that a practical way of thinking?
Howard Zinn: It’s certainly not practical in the sense of something that’s immediately achievable. But I think it’s very important to hold as a goal. It’s philosophical, but not in a utopian sense that makes it simply theoretical and unworkable. It’s philosophical only in the sense that it’s long term. So although it’s not an immediate possibility or probability, I think it’s very important to have an idea of what a good society would be like so that you can measure what is happening today and what the policies are today against that goal.

[@lizwalsh5680]

my teacher has been talking about Howard zinn and his book since the beginning of the semester. I didn't think much of him until I took a political compass test recently and his people's history was in the list of reading materials. now I know why I like the teacher so much! we share very similar political views, and I just kind of dismissed them. I'm probably too apathetic for my own good

[@FirstLast-cf4mi]

Zinn went from "Corporations are inherently bad" to "no borders no visas" in 60 seconds. Jeez.

[@coolbeans6148]

Yea, hes shit

[@saskk2290]

@@FirstLast-cf4mi He didn't say it would happen overnight. We are primates roaming the earth. Borders are somewhat insane when you think hard on it. Removing them overnight would be similarly insane

[@brittanyhayes1043]

​@@saskk2290 We NEED BOARDERS FOR A COUNTIRES EXISTIANCE AND FOR THE CONTINUATY IF CIVILIZATIONS SURVIVAL.

[@saskk2290]

​@brittanyhayes1043 I see no evidence for that. I'm not claiming my ideal scenario is proven as possible. As humans, we are self aware. We understand there are no signs of life beyond this earth that we yet know of. As primates, that means we are tribal. It is only through ignorance that people do not understand that as a world we are one tribe, and we all suffer the affliction of the human condition. However, we know as a fact that this planet can easily provide for all, unless our society and your beloved "country" or "civilization" (I don't mean to be glib) insists on being driven by material greed and social power (post-industrial nations particularly). Remember, we are animals. Imagine telling a bird it can't South. It sounds like an oversimplification. But is it really? You have to challenge what the prevailing dogma is, otherwise we will not meaningfully progress to a place where community, individual freedom and real democracy can be realized. In the crosshairs of environmental degradation, we are not even close to achieving that

[@carolinasoulshine8949]

What a man! He and chomsky just get it...

[@d.b.levitt]

Are you on another planet? These people are fools who had unique ideas -not true or smart ideas- unique ideas for their time.

[@carolinasoulshine8949]

@@d.b.levitt open your mind to the truth

[@d.b.levitt]

@@carolinasoulshine8949 what truth? That prisons shouldnt exist and that we should be communist? Sorry but no

[@harshitmadan6449]

Not really. They just think like you do.

[@brky5168]

Well into the twentieth century, socialism had always meant the abolition of private property in the means of production, the end of market competition by private entrepreneurs for land, capital, and labor, and therefore the elimination of market-generated prices for finished goods and the factors of production, including the wages of labor. ... The chaos of the Soviet economy was centered in the lack of a real price system and therefore a method of economic calculation. There could not be a real price system in the Soviet Union because it would have required the reversal of the very rationale for the socialist system, on which the Soviet rulers’ power was based-government control and central planning of production. And they could not set their network of artificial prices at levels comparable to those in some Western countries, because it would have made clear just how misguided their entire planning and distribution process actually was. ... And the abolition of private property resulted in weakened and often perverse incentives, in which individual access to wealth, position, and power came through membership in the Communist Party and status within the bureaucratic hierarchy. ... Thus along with the inherent irrationality of the central planning system due to the lack of real prices were the weakened incentives for the ordinary Soviet citizen to be industrious and creative in the official economy, as well as the perverse incentives of the political system in which personal gain was achieved through a near-total disregard for the interests of the wider society. That the Soviet planners had agendas other than serving consumers only further distorted the system. -Why Socialism is "Impossible", Richard Ebeling

[@waldemar9999]

You describe Norway! Thank you! We agree with you here. Greetings from 🇳🇴

[@cluntbeastwood9794]

Jesus Christ stay out of the comments. No critical thinking going on there. This man was extremely educated and accomplished. Take his word and just know that his denouncers have not thought nearly as deeply about the subject matter they pretend to know about. Howard Zinn is an absolute legend and we should be showing our children the words of this peaceful and wise man.

[@coolbeans6148]

Hes Satan in the flesh

[@donquihote6023]

I am witnessing the seeds sown by this man and they are far from peaceful. Like others before him, his words are fuel for the fires of evil people who will use them and good people to tear down rather than build up. Globalism, no borders etc... Where will you go, when there is no place left to run? When it is the same everywhere, but, you don't fit?

[@aletiya]

@@donquihote6023 "globalism" and what the fuck you suppose that means? I have an idea, its a meaningless word, beacause it has been coopted by morons who like repeating the same argument over and over. When true globalisation happens under capitalism, with the expansion of corporations and the power they amass, nobody from your end bats an eye, but when a leftist argues for unity and the rejection of foreign influence in sovereignty issues (foreign meaning gringoland), he's a fucking commie globalist. Get the fuck out of here. God is dead, the fucking yanquis killed him and you're raping him to putrefaction.

[@saskk2290]

​@@donquihote6023Jesus Christ relax. He wasn't proposing this overnight. If you knew history, you'd know the map has been drawn based on conquest & exploitation, and continues to be. And people are conditioned from birth to not doubt the national stories to their core, as they would then most likely become class conscious and indignant, as would be their right. Our society is highly organized so the minority on top are blithely accepted implicitly or explicitly as the "capable set of men (ppl)". Howard Zinn is not a liberal, nor is he "woke". He is a historian and had a remarkably eventful life, always went against the prevailing narrative, and was damn good at it. Obviously opening all the borders overnight is impossible. Howard knows that. But if the pattern continues, we are toast. Technology is evolving, humans aren't

[@TheBrosPB]

These comments make me feel like shit, seeing people talk about about Howard Zinn and they are not even on his level.

[@user-nc9pc3gr4c]

Anyone that is a socialist is greatly misinformed. It has been tried in 30 countries and it has failed every time it was tried. Now this guy thinks he has the real formula for socialism. That is narcissistic.

[@asswipe777]

A liar and you plagiarist, yup, I’m not on his level and may he rot in his grave.

[@digitalstreamer3498]

Ignore them. It's mostly from right wingers that can't accept the fact that there great country has a horrible past, just like most first world developed nations.

[@brittanyhayes1043]

​@@digitalstreamer3498 we know it has a horrible past yet it also havs its good part too. Stop with being baised and start loving the cou try you live in or move.

[@digitalstreamer3498]

@@brittanyhayes1043 You should probably learn how to write a coherent sentence before criticizing others.

[@mattlukethompson]

Rest well Dr Zinn

[@johnrichards2616]

Absolute power corrupts absolutely

[@rickobrien1583]

Wow people hating on Howard Zinn? Non violent attitudes seem to enrage people. guess it hurts when people expose how rotten to the core our society has become.

[@Sunspot9522]

You obviously haven't cross referenced his book. He doesn't source his work, he's very hypocritical. He says he is a man of peace, but he glorifies violence and anarchism. There is literally a passage where he talks about a 'Mom and Pops' restaurant getting set on fire by a disgruntled worker intending to kill them, and he says that's perfectly okay, and even incourages this because in his mind the workers are fighting against some capitalist plot! Whats more is that he's a Markist, yet he became a very wealthy man from his book living lavishly. I certainly think he deserves all the criticism he gets.

[@amelian9677]

Jacob Albright Markist?

[@robertrichard6107]

Colonial Proprietary societys have always been rotten.

[@coolbeans6148]

Socialist are extremely violent, what are you smoking?

[@rickobrien1583]

@@coolbeans6148 Capitalists are far more violent then socialists.

[@frentz7]

weird title. correct title seems to be "Howard Zinn's Political Philosophy."

[@digitalstreamer3498]

Howard Zinn did a great job in triggering right wingers with the truth about america's horrible history. Rest in peace.

[@joemahony4198]

A history worse Britain, France the USSR, the Ottoman, Roman, Mogul, Persian empires?

[@joemahony4198]

If you document only the Bad and your model of comparison is your Utopia any actual country looks bad.

[@digitalstreamer3498]

@@joemahony4198 If the bad is the truth, why run away from it, unless for ideological reasons?

[@joemahony4198]

@@digitalstreamer3498 What Howard Zinn omits the whole truth and neglects putting events in context. When he claims the USSR was an example of “false communism “ I can only conclude he is the ideologue.

[@brittanyhayes1043]

It's one thing to be honest about history and another to be like Howard's Zeen and be completely biased and put down the United States whike supporting Communist whike living in said country he hated for a time. He's a clown masquerading as a historian.

[@evanmoore8578]

Human hero.

[@lizgichora6472]

Freedom of people without deprivation of civil liberties through democratic elections. Policies change when people are better informed, and they make BEST Choices.

[@litestuf]

Mankind, instead of spending billions (read Trillions) going to other planets, moons in order to destroy them as we have done with our own, we should clean up our own act.

[@robertrichard6107]

fake moon news

[@brittanyhayes1043]

Okay, your thoughts are going to lead to literal genocide to save the planet ideology so you know. Think really delegently becUse the Eco Defending facists have brought this up as a possible ultimatum.

[@donaldzinn2927]

If the people of the world all come Together and share? The power is the people? Not the dictats

[@sarahdeshay1394]

My hero!

[@ivanbarbosa81]

this has been my dream since 1997, no borders

"Howard Zinn, a people's history of the United States", the film is available now ! kzbin.info/www/bejne/jIXGlH1no8mbZq8

[@amelian9677]

Miss ya Howard ❤️

[@coolbeans6148]

Wheres his grave? I want to shit on it.

[@OmarDelawar]

LIKE, LIKE, LIKE! I haven't heard of Howard before watching this but the man has the right ideas! Eat your heart out Capitalists/Republicans/Liberatians and right-wingers!

[@brky5168]

Well into the twentieth century, socialism had always meant the abolition of private property in the means of production, the end of market competition by private entrepreneurs for land, capital, and labor, and therefore the elimination of market-generated prices for finished goods and the factors of production, including the wages of labor. ... The chaos of the Soviet economy was centered in the lack of a real price system and therefore a method of economic calculation. There could not be a real price system in the Soviet Union because it would have required the reversal of the very rationale for the socialist system, on which the Soviet rulers’ power was based-government control and central planning of production. And they could not set their network of artificial prices at levels comparable to those in some Western countries, because it would have made clear just how misguided their entire planning and distribution process actually was. ... And the abolition of private property resulted in weakened and often perverse incentives, in which individual access to wealth, position, and power came through membership in the Communist Party and status within the bureaucratic hierarchy. ... Thus along with the inherent irrationality of the central planning system due to the lack of real prices were the weakened incentives for the ordinary Soviet citizen to be industrious and creative in the official economy, as well as the perverse incentives of the political system in which personal gain was achieved through a near-total disregard for the interests of the wider society. That the Soviet planners had agendas other than serving consumers only further distorted the system. -Why Socialism is "Impossible", Richard Ebeling

[@sarahdeshay1394]

Fortunately there is a treasure trove of film featuring Howard Zinn available on KZbin, enjoy.

[@davidsewell4999]

I liked learning about Zinn in the book "Debunking howard zinn by mary grabar"

[@davidsewell4999]

@@pattyayers How is the book right wing? Do you just call everything that you disagree with right wing?

[@foxtrot9248]

@@pattyayers fuck commies they can hang

[@brittanyhayes1043]

I need to get that book and buy Howard's zines book to compare so I can hit him with a dose of reality on his grave.

[@saskk2290]

Mary Grabar is dumber than a sack of bricks and thoroughly brainwashed. It's plain as day. This guy killed Nazi's for America and yall are making him out to be Joseph Stalin. You have my sympathies

[@DV-dt9sq]

Socialism by defauld doesn't have jails! If it has, then it is NOT socialism! You can't say "I want socialism without jails" because in Socialism there is no jail.

[@coolbeans6148]

"But, but, it wasn't reeeeal socialism " "I promise, it will work this time..."

[@OmarDelawar]

"But, but, it wasn't Fox News" "I promise, I was not influenced by right-wing/capitalist/republican propaganda"

[@coolbeans6148]

@@OmarDelawar Of course, who would be stupid enough not to be influenced by capitalism,? The difference is, I dont cling to a primitive, racist, violent, and failed ideology.

[@richardjustinamericantatem5758]

This guy was the quintessential utopian theorist...great sounding ideas about "justice and fairness" that have proven time and again to lead to "injustice and unfairness." And no...Norway and Sweden are not examples of the type of country he is describing. They are capitalist free-market countries with significant social welfare programs...but they are anything but an amalgamation of "the best of communism, socialism, and anarchism." This guy and his book need to be put on the trash heap of historical ideas and literature that have proven to be dangerous for society. Just like Marx and the Communist Manifesto.

[@saskk2290]

He has openly stated he doesn't believe in a utopia. There goes your grand theory. He actually believes in REAL democracy, not the potemkin democracies of the west

[@brky5168]

Well into the twentieth century, socialism had always meant the abolition of private property in the means of production, the end of market competition by private entrepreneurs for land, capital, and labor, and therefore the elimination of market-generated prices for finished goods and the factors of production, including the wages of labor. ... The chaos of the Soviet economy was centered in the lack of a real price system and therefore a method of economic calculation. There could not be a real price system in the Soviet Union because it would have required the reversal of the very rationale for the socialist system, on which the Soviet rulers’ power was based-government control and central planning of production. And they could not set their network of artificial prices at levels comparable to those in some Western countries, because it would have made clear just how misguided their entire planning and distribution process actually was. ... And the abolition of private property resulted in weakened and often perverse incentives, in which individual access to wealth, position, and power came through membership in the Communist Party and status within the bureaucratic hierarchy. ... Thus along with the inherent irrationality of the central planning system due to the lack of real prices were the weakened incentives for the ordinary Soviet citizen to be industrious and creative in the official economy, as well as the perverse incentives of the political system in which personal gain was achieved through a near-total disregard for the interests of the wider society. That the Soviet planners had agendas other than serving consumers only further distorted the system. -Why Socialism is "Impossible", Richard Ebeling

[@schechter01]

When socialism was established by the Bolsheviks in early 20th-century Russia, that was supposed to be democratic, too. Also, Zinn did not take numbers or scale into account. The larger the population of a society & the greater the distances involved, the more that overarching government, bureaucracy & hierarchical specialization are required just to keep the society together. A single global superstate like what Zinn imagines could be socialist...but it would not be democratic, even if it called itself such. Note that none of the above is an argument for _laissez-faire_ economics. Don't mistake opposition to a centrally planned economy for endorsement of capitalism run amok, please. (I don't like it any more than you do.)

[@AspieMediaBobby]

@Schechter Arts Zinn doesn`t support a centrally-planned economy,either.Nearly no modern-day socialist does and in fact we have a derogatory nickname for those that do:"Tankies".Furthermore,central planning is a form of technocratic state capitalism,not socialism!Also,socialism simply means worker control of the means of production,obviously globalization impedes that every bit as much as nationalism,worker control of the means of production necessitates worker autonomy from all coercive bureaucratic channels!

[@robertrichard6107]

@@AspieMediaBobby Right on.

[@aletiya]

The issue here is that you hava a western ideal of democracy, in which everyone expresses their opinion on a piece of paper, and elects the desired candidate. You see democracy is instantly invalidated when you have poverty, inanition, homelessness or just plain inequality. Because capitalist societies are so asymmetric there's no real room for equality. How can people really be free, and think free if their bellies are struck down by hunger, how can you think free if your mind is constantly bombarded with carefully structured information designed to sway you to one side or another, all of this controled by a group of extremely few people who hace their own interests to protect. Rafael Correa, wisely, said: "Ever since printing was invented, the will of the words were in power of the owner of the printer".The USSR had several other mechanisms for representation, and ANYBODY could be the leader, look at Brezhnev, his parents were executed for criminal offence and he was the supreme leader. Look at the soviets, which gave the ussr iots name, they were designed to give the voiceless a voice.

[@aletiya]

@@AspieMediaBobby You must be a socdem. You must know that social democracy cant't exist if it doesn't have its way with other countries

[@brittanyhayes1043]

​@@AspieMediaBobby That's the definition of communist not Socilism and it often sound like you are purposely merging the two

[@sarahdeshay1394]

The greatest American of the 20th century. He spent his entire life fighting for good and educating the youth. Can anyone think of a life spent on more noble causes?

[@coolbeans6148]

Yea, a dung beetle rolling shit all day, better than Zinn

[@ashdash4347]

No, they cannot.

[@brittanyhayes1043]

What good has he done for his country then be baised and not showing any love for it.

[@chaoticnique9748]

This is the wae

[@numbchomskull]

What would Howard Zinn be doing if he were alive today? Scratching at the lid of his coffin.

[@TayDays1128]

he lost me at that "no nations" nonsense.

[@Bowmanmf]

So Howard thinks he can just wish for these ideals, and they will come true? Or does he think an authoritarian should implement them?...and once that authority is given, how do we keep that authoritarian in check? Voting? Good luck.

[@foxtrot9248]

we cant enact these things unless all peoples act with the same compassion for each other in their hearts, which will likely never happen.

[@AbdullahMikalRodriguez]

I wish the liberals in this comment section would try to understand the reason why this man is so controversial and heavily criticized... He's a "historian" with an activist's agenda. This is some extraordinarily bias scholarship... The guy just isn't correct, simple as that...

[@digitalstreamer3498]

I wish the conservatives in the comment section would understand that, just because Howard Zinn correctly points out the darkness in many aspects of American History, it does not mean that he is being "unpatriotic" or "hateful" to America. It just means we need to learn from history to improve our society. Why would a man who wants the best for society have such nefarious intentions? It doesn't make sense.

[@brittanyhayes1043]

​@@digitalstreamer3498 He is not patriotic

[@brittanyhayes1043]

​​@@digitalstreamer3498 He is bei g hateful towards America. How can you say that? He perverse communism over a working economic system who has not failed unlike the soviet union, the Great Leap Forward and Pol Pot genocide of his own people. My dude wake up please ypu are embarrassing.

[@thefakenewsnetwork8072]

Legend

[@Yourismouter]

socialism without jails, don't really get it.

[@kornofulgur]

Bcause when reading or listening the word socialism, you were tought (just as me) to visualize a guy with a mustache and a military vest speaking Russian. He explains the rest, but you can rewatch it.

[@Yourismouter]

uhmmmm not at all lol I like Howard Zinn and ascribe to Democratic socialism, I just didn't get socialism without jails, you can be an ACUTAL polite person and kindly explain to someone who you know nothing about what the statement means.

[@Spiral.Dynamics]

It’s because most people associate socialism with The Soviet Union, and they are sort of famous for their prisons. In Soviet Russia you could be thrown in The Gulag for almost anything for almost 40 years.

[@mrbigdaddyjoe4889]

Most people in jail shouldnt be there. For example drug use or selling drugs. The war on drugs is a failure. Should a person go to jail if he hasnt hurt a person. Or how a a pharmacist different from a drug dealer? Legal drugs kill more people than illegal drugs. Hypocrisy

[@mrbigdaddyjoe4889]

Another one is someone who is illegal. If there are no boarders how could a person be illegal.

[@robsmith6403]

I'm surprised that he supports globalization

[@digitalstreamer3498]

The left isn't against globalization in general. They are just against corporations indicating the framework of globalization since it only benefits them more than the common man.

[@RubbaDubbaDooskie]

Trans-nationalism != globalization in the Capitalist sense.

[@thefakenewsnetwork8072]

Shoutout to eugenics

[@thefakenewsnetwork8072]

Im god

[@likewiselikeyou104]

What hilarious nonsense... and from an elderly man! The human experience did not change his mind.

[@dancygr]

LikeWiseLikeYou Have you ever read Howard Zinn? His writings are easily the most important writings on American history and the American experience.

[@likewiselikeyou104]

Oh please, he's a self-declared socialist, an anarchist, and a lunatic.

[@SuikaNine]

I'm reading his book, the more i read, the more i dislike him.

[@comicbookfan124]

Suika Nine Because he's a walking talking contradiction.

[@magnus100100]

George Dancy: Don't waste Your time trying to reason with someone who will never listen. You see, guys like "LikeWiseLikeYou" does Always Believe that they have seen the light and they Always claims to know the thruth. But fortunately, there is a lot of people in this World that agrees with you George, talk with them instead and ignore the fools.

[@thefakenewsnetwork8072]

Im god