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SOCIALISM AND SUPERIOR BRAINS This book provides a comprehensive critical account of the political ideas of Bernard Shaw, the master intellectual of British socialism and one of the most influential political commentators of the twentieth century. Shaw assumed many roles as a thinker, among them those of artist- philosopher, clowning prophet and pamphleteer. This book explains the methods he employed, the levels of abstraction at which his thought operated, and the intentions which informed his epic engagement with ideas. Part I provides an intellectual biography, while at the same time analysing Shaw’s key concerns in relation to his Fabianism, arguments for equality of income and ideas on democracy and education. Part II looks at those areas which Shaw approached as long-standing historical problems or as dramas requiring immediate thought or action: sexual equality, the Irish question, war, fascism and Sovietism. Socialism and Superior Brains is directed at the general reader as well as at specialists. It will be central reading for anyone seeking to understand Shaw’s life and literary and political writings, the development of political thinking in this century and the problems and potential inherent in socialism. Gareth Griffith is Senior Research Officer at the New South Wales State Parliament Library. SOCIALISM AND SUPERIOR BRAINS The political thought of Bernard Shaw Gareth Griffith London and New York First published 1993 by Routledge 11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE New in paperback 1995 This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2003. Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001 ©1993 Gareth Griffith All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue reference for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue reference for this book has been requested ISBN 0-203-21083-2 Master e-book ISBN ISBN 0-203-21131-6 (Adobe eReader Format) ISBN 0-415-08281-1 (hbk) ISBN 0-415-12473-5 (pbk) For Sue and Sam and in memory of the Great John I CONTENTS Preface ix Introduction 1 Part I 1 SHAW’S FABIANISM 23 2 SHAVIAN SOCIALISM 101 Part II 3 SEXUAL EQUALITY 157 4 THE IRISH QUESTION 191 5 WAR AND PEACE 216 6 FASCISM AND SOVIETISM 241 Part III 7 CONCLUSION 277 Notes 286 Bibliography 291 Index 300 vii PREFACE I have four aims in writing this book. First, I wish to offer a comprehensive and critical account of Shaw’s political thought which is of value both to specialists in the field as well as to students and general readers perhaps coming to these ideas for the first time. Central to the work is the understanding that, while Shaw is not a major figure in the history of social and political thought, he was extremely influential in the development and dissemination of socialist and progressive ideas in Britain and beyond for over half a century. He made a difference, albeit of a kind that cannot be expressed in quantitative terms. A critical assessment of his political thought is essential to a complete picture of social and political argument in the modern age. The lack of a comprehensive study of this kind prompted this work and guided its purpose. Second, my aim is to characterize Shaw’s thought, or, more precisely, to explain the methods he employed, the levels of abstraction at which his thought operated, and the intentions which inspired his work. He assumed many roles as a thinker, inter alia that of artist, pamphleteer, philosopher and clowning prophet. Was he a serious thinker, or a devil’s advocate? Were his ideas intended to transcend the context in which they were formulated? These are among the perennial questions which are asked of Shaw. This study characterizes his thought not in terms of political theory but as a form of political argument, inherently controversial, having regard to context and audience, but not necessarily intended to function purely within the framework of controversy. My third aim is to present a picture of the development of Shaw’s thought without seeking to offer a standard intellectual biography. I should explain myself. In order to show the interrelations, the continuities and discon-tinuities in Shaw’s work, and in part to suggest why he is a serious if not wholly successful thinker, I have chosen to organize this study along thematic lines. In the light of the sheer variety of Shaw’s interests, interspersing discussion of his views on such issues as the state and sexual equality with consideration of the totality of his concerns in any period of his life would have led, I believe, to a disjointed and unsatisfactory critical account. My aim, therefore, has ix

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George Bernard Shaw was the master intellectual of British socialism and has been one of the most influential political commentators of the twentieth century. "Socialism and Superior Brains" provides a comprehensive critical account of his political ideas. Shaw assumed many roles as a thinker, inclu