Socialism: Playing With Fire

Imagine you’re a socialist. You read Kristian Niemietz’sSocialism: The Failed Idea That Never Dies and declare him most unfair: “Sure, the typical socialist defended totalitarian regimes during their ‘honeymoon periods.’ The best socialists, however, spoke out at once. And it’s the best socialists who speak for socialism.”

A reasonable position. I don’t want my views judged by the quality of the typical person who shares my label, either.

Still, this raises a weighty question: How should the...