“It’ll Never Work!”

Claims that socialism is infeasible are pervasive in everyday political discourse. These claims warrant close scrutiny, as they often rely on or suggest implicit arguments that are defective and ideologically loaded. This paper systematically reconstructs and critiques five common types of defective anti-socialist feasibility arguments (DAFAs) found in ordinary communication. In addition to analyzing their argumentative flaws, the paper argues that DAFAs function ideologically in the Marxist-critical sense: they distort social reality such that, in effect, they advance and sustain ruling class interests. Relying on fallacies, unsubstantiated claims, and conceptual imprecision, DAFAs misleadingly cultivate the perception that socialism is definitively unachievable and unworthy of deliberation or pursuit, thereby discouraging collective efforts toward emancipatory change. The paper offers analytical tools for identifying and countering such arguments, equipping radicals to more effectively challenge this form of capitalist ideology.