Communists want society to build communism. But what for? Different communists can have different objectives for this, and in this article we'll try to show the most common ones.
1. Utilitarian Communist
For the utilitarian communist, the main point of communism is that it's the most effective way to increase happiness. If it's proved that communism isn't the best way for happiness, this type of communist will abandon their goal and pursue another, better way.
Such a communist is highly recommended to familiarize themselves with the Effective Altruism movement and their anti-communism objections.
2. Communism Itself as Terminal Goal
This type of communist will pursue communism regardless of everything else. The strongest point of this approach is that it is the only one that cannot be changed through changing descriptive views.
The main problem with communism for its own sake is that this type of communist, after reaching communism, will hinder further development into post-communism stages. Also, such an approach (as well as some further ones) could lead to huge sacrifices for reaching the ends.
3. The Progress of History as Terminal Goal
We must maintain human progress. Pursuing communism is the best way for this because:
The path to communism is progressive in itself, and this path is the most progressive among all available options.
Communism, after being reached, will maintain further progress in the best possible way.
If it's proved that there is a better way to maintain historical progress—for example, through killing all workers and replacing them with robots and AI (while still under private property)—the progressist will prefer such a (possibly horrible) way.
4. Communism for Worker's Interest
This is similar to utilitarianism, but we focus not on the overall population, but workers only. Capitalists and other parasites must be neglected in our utility function.
Instead of happiness, we operate in the category of interest, which correlates with happiness but is not equivalent. This term is more vague and more manipulative, but to show the distinction, imagine this: you are connected to a machine that makes you experience infinite intensive orgasms and maintains your bodily functions infinitely. But being in such a machine, you are deprived of free choice, of intellectual and cultural development—then we can say that this is not in your interest.
5. Communism for Fairness
The main point here is to develop equilibrium between what people give to society and what they receive in return. The criteria is highly subjective, but nevertheless can be sought.
The weak point is that it could be easier to maintain fairness in a more undeveloped environment, and we can sacrifice overall happiness and progress for fairness' sake. For example, consider two options:
We both produce 10 units of resources and share it equally.
I produce 10 units of resources, you produce 90 units, and I receive 80 units while you receive 20.
The for-fairness communist would prefer the first option.
6. Fatalism as the Moral Core
Communism is inevitable, therefore we must pursue communism.
The problem here is that if we prove that the extinction of humanity is inevitable, then we should pursue extinction. Or even more pointedly: the death of the communist's mother is inevitable because of biological laws, but should we make this outcome closer, or should we hinder it as much as possible?
By the way, the first premise, being descriptive, highly contradicts the theory of chaotic systems and probabilistic reasoning, which was developed after communist ideology was already frosted.
7. Aesthetic Approach
This type of communist just likes the image of communism: its monumentalism, cult of wrestling, design of symbolics, pathos, neat and ordered, harmonic look of the proposed future (without the sights of decay that are plenty in today's world).
But very similar aesthetics are exploited by Nazis and Nazbols, and many communist movements do not share it.
8. Counterculture Communism
I am pursuing communism because it makes me special. Nobody pursues it, so I will. When pursuing communism goes from underground to mainstream, I'll switch to anti-communism. I won't be with the mass, I'll always be against!
Sounds like Egor Letov.
9. Egoistic Communism
I'm pursuing communism because it increases my current or expected wellbeing.
If current wellbeing is individual, the expected wellbeing (fighting for communism to happily live in communism) is highly questionable: the path to communism contains many dangers and probable individual sacrifices.
By the way, these egoistic communists are a high threat to communism itself, because at some point they could realize that the best way to personal wellbeing is to transform society into politarism and create communism not for everybody, but only for the Politburo.
10. Objections
The Marxist communist would say that some of these goals are not communistic, but opportun-revisionistic, therefore anti-communistic. But it's purely a matter of definitions, and definitions can be given arbitrarily. In the volume of this article, I define a communist as somebody who pursues communism regardless of reasons, descriptive views, or efficiency of their ways—nothing to do with Marxism and its ethics in particular. For example, I include Christian communists (who are definitely not Marxists) in the set of communists.
The other objection could be that a true communist would have not one goal as main, but their dialectical holistic unity. But I don't understand dialectics. Also, a Marxist could say that real communism is the best way to achieve all the good described objectives simultaneously, which is why my objections have nothing to do with reality. And here I would just recommend treating them as counter-factual.
The stronger objection would be that the human utility function is very intricate and interdependent. For example, I might prefer fulfilling the first objection at 5 abstract units of fulfillment (AUF) over the second at 5 AUF, but fulfilling the second at 10 AUF would be better than the first at 5 AUF—but not if the third objection...
This critique is highly fair, and I must confess that my classification is highly simplistic and needs improvement. But let's imagine that a human meets a genie and is given all the options of the form: fulfill objection X at ∞ AUF and -∞ in all the others. If you refuse to choose, you receive -∞ in all objectives. The choice that the person would hypothetically make determines their type of communist.
Closing Question
By the way, which type are you?
And how do you think—what is the better way to form political organization?
To combine people if they share the same means, even if terminal goals are different.
Both means and ends should be the same.
To combine people if they share the same values, even if their views on how to most efficiently fulfill those values are different.
July 29, 2026
Preamble
Communists want society to build communism. But what for? Different communists can have different objectives for this, and in this article we'll try to show the most common ones.
1. Utilitarian Communist
For the utilitarian communist, the main point of communism is that it's the most effective way to increase happiness. If it's proved that communism isn't the best way for happiness, this type of communist will abandon their goal and pursue another, better way.
Such a communist is highly recommended to familiarize themselves with the Effective Altruism movement and their anti-communism objections.
2. Communism Itself as Terminal Goal
This type of communist will pursue communism regardless of everything else. The strongest point of this approach is that it is the only one that cannot be changed through changing descriptive views.
The main problem with communism for its own sake is that this type of communist, after reaching communism, will hinder further development into post-communism stages. Also, such an approach (as well as some further ones) could lead to huge sacrifices for reaching the ends.
3. The Progress of History as Terminal Goal
We must maintain human progress. Pursuing communism is the best way for this because:
If it's proved that there is a better way to maintain historical progress—for example, through killing all workers and replacing them with robots and AI (while still under private property)—the progressist will prefer such a (possibly horrible) way.
4. Communism for Worker's Interest
This is similar to utilitarianism, but we focus not on the overall population, but workers only. Capitalists and other parasites must be neglected in our utility function.
Instead of happiness, we operate in the category of interest, which correlates with happiness but is not equivalent. This term is more vague and more manipulative, but to show the distinction, imagine this: you are connected to a machine that makes you experience infinite intensive orgasms and maintains your bodily functions infinitely. But being in such a machine, you are deprived of free choice, of intellectual and cultural development—then we can say that this is not in your interest.
5. Communism for Fairness
The main point here is to develop equilibrium between what people give to society and what they receive in return. The criteria is highly subjective, but nevertheless can be sought.
The weak point is that it could be easier to maintain fairness in a more undeveloped environment, and we can sacrifice overall happiness and progress for fairness' sake. For example, consider two options:
The for-fairness communist would prefer the first option.
6. Fatalism as the Moral Core
Communism is inevitable, therefore we must pursue communism.
The problem here is that if we prove that the extinction of humanity is inevitable, then we should pursue extinction. Or even more pointedly: the death of the communist's mother is inevitable because of biological laws, but should we make this outcome closer, or should we hinder it as much as possible?
By the way, the first premise, being descriptive, highly contradicts the theory of chaotic systems and probabilistic reasoning, which was developed after communist ideology was already frosted.
7. Aesthetic Approach
This type of communist just likes the image of communism: its monumentalism, cult of wrestling, design of symbolics, pathos, neat and ordered, harmonic look of the proposed future (without the sights of decay that are plenty in today's world).
But very similar aesthetics are exploited by Nazis and Nazbols, and many communist movements do not share it.
8. Counterculture Communism
I am pursuing communism because it makes me special. Nobody pursues it, so I will. When pursuing communism goes from underground to mainstream, I'll switch to anti-communism. I won't be with the mass, I'll always be against!
Sounds like Egor Letov.
9. Egoistic Communism
I'm pursuing communism because it increases my current or expected wellbeing.
If current wellbeing is individual, the expected wellbeing (fighting for communism to happily live in communism) is highly questionable: the path to communism contains many dangers and probable individual sacrifices.
By the way, these egoistic communists are a high threat to communism itself, because at some point they could realize that the best way to personal wellbeing is to transform society into politarism and create communism not for everybody, but only for the Politburo.
10. Objections
The Marxist communist would say that some of these goals are not communistic, but opportun-revisionistic, therefore anti-communistic. But it's purely a matter of definitions, and definitions can be given arbitrarily. In the volume of this article, I define a communist as somebody who pursues communism regardless of reasons, descriptive views, or efficiency of their ways—nothing to do with Marxism and its ethics in particular. For example, I include Christian communists (who are definitely not Marxists) in the set of communists.
The other objection could be that a true communist would have not one goal as main, but their dialectical holistic unity. But I don't understand dialectics. Also, a Marxist could say that real communism is the best way to achieve all the good described objectives simultaneously, which is why my objections have nothing to do with reality. And here I would just recommend treating them as counter-factual.
The stronger objection would be that the human utility function is very intricate and interdependent. For example, I might prefer fulfilling the first objection at 5 abstract units of fulfillment (AUF) over the second at 5 AUF, but fulfilling the second at 10 AUF would be better than the first at 5 AUF—but not if the third objection...
This critique is highly fair, and I must confess that my classification is highly simplistic and needs improvement. But let's imagine that a human meets a genie and is given all the options of the form: fulfill objection X at ∞ AUF and -∞ in all the others. If you refuse to choose, you receive -∞ in all objectives. The choice that the person would hypothetically make determines their type of communist.
Closing Question
By the way, which type are you?
And how do you think—what is the better way to form political organization?