I've been reading about the Russian Revolution lately, and one feature of radical revolutionary thought has stuck with me: they believe that changing the enviro

I've been reading about the Russian Revolution lately, and one feature of radical revolutionary thought has stuck with me: they believe that changing the environment in which people live will create a new type of person, the "New Soviet Man", or whatever name they give the particular flavor of new man their ideology will free humanity to become. This is in contrast to the conservative and reactionary idea of humanity, where there is a human nature that is constant, and the best a new environment can offer them is a different way to express their essential humanity, with all its typical virtues and failings. I personally think history bears out the latter view pretty well, but even if you don't find either convinces you, it's a valuable way to view the aspirations of the two schools of thought.