Context
Socialism, like the ancient ideas from which it springs, confuses the distinction between government and society. As a result of this, every time we object to a thing being done by government, the socialists conclude that we object to its being done at all. We disapprove of state education. Then the socialists say that we are opposed to any education. We object to a state religion. Then the socialists say that we want no religion at all. We object to a state-enforced equality. Then they say that we are against equality. And so on, and so on. It is as if the socialists were to accuse us of not wanting persons to eat because we do not want the state to raise grain.
Explanation
Society is the rich tapestry of families, faith communities, clubs, charities, and enterprises where people freely cooperate. Government is a narrower tool with a unique power: coercion. When we confuse the two, we start imagining that compassion, creativity, and culture can be engineered from a ministry rather than nurtured in everyday life.
Socialism makes that mistake. By elevating the state to the role of society itself, it drains the oxygen from voluntary action, dulls responsibility, and centralizes decisions that millions of free minds handle far better. Let government safeguard equal rights and keep the peace; let society breathe. In that space, generosity is genuine, innovation is unleashed, and human dignity has room to rise.
