Why did Robert Owen believe that changes in social conditions could improve people’s behavior?

Robert Owen believed that human character is fundamentally formed by circumstances beyond an individual's control. Because he concluded that people are not responsible for their own nature, he argued that they should not be subject to praise or blame.1

This core conviction led Owen to propose that the most effective way to shape human character is to place individuals under positive, constructive influences from their earliest years. By creating environments that provided these proper influences, he believed society could improve people’s behavior and well-being. This philosophy served as the foundation for his system of educational philanthropy and his efforts toward social amelioration, most notably demonstrated at New Lanark, where he sought to foster a healthy, content, and cooperative community.1

Ultimately, Owen advocated for the reorganization of society into self-contained, cooperative communities where work and its results were shared, believing that such structural changes were essential to overcoming the distress caused by industrial competition and poverty.1