Economics and Philosophy
I used to be against capitalism for a while. Why? Because when I think about my ideal community I think about people cooperating and not taking more than they need in terms of property, income, resources in general. When that happens, people don't suffer as much as there's less room or tolerance for exploitation.
These days, though, I've come upon the realization that the problem isn't in capitalism, but in the way people use capitalism to justify their greed. They take and take and take, and when you try and object, people say "hey, that's capitalism." My response: "hey, well you're a fucking idiot." For one thing, you've committed the is-ought fallacy, equating what is with what ought-to-be. Just because things are fucked up doesn't mean they should remain fucked up. People doesn't realize this. What puzzles me even more is why people think capitalism is so sacred. If you even suggest capitalism might be a flawed--in theory or in practice--people freak the fuck out. WTF?
But like I said, I'm not against capitalism, just the way that it's practiced. That is, capitalism is practiced without a conscience and without any responsibility. The rich have created all these clever tools for taking advantage of the poor -- business tools, legal tools, rhetorical tools, political tools -- and they've found a way to make them work together to ensure that their property is never threatened and keeps growing. And they've made themselves anonymous with the advent of entities like corporations that allow them to exploit others from a distance.*
So, conscientious capitalism. That's what I'm pushing these days. If I could really have my way, I'd push for smaller communities where people actually know one another and where people were accountable to their community. Why? Because I think that's what really makes life pleasant and peaceful. So many people are deprived of that opportunity to interact, but it's truly fulfilling. To enact a vision like that, however, means that we dissolve corporations entirely which isn't an easy task and in truth, has to be done ethically, otherwise you just create more misery, which is exactly what you're trying to avoid.
*Yes, corporations can do good too, but they also let people make decisions without feeling accountable to the community they're fucking over.
These days, though, I've come upon the realization that the problem isn't in capitalism, but in the way people use capitalism to justify their greed. They take and take and take, and when you try and object, people say "hey, that's capitalism." My response: "hey, well you're a fucking idiot." For one thing, you've committed the is-ought fallacy, equating what is with what ought-to-be. Just because things are fucked up doesn't mean they should remain fucked up. People doesn't realize this. What puzzles me even more is why people think capitalism is so sacred. If you even suggest capitalism might be a flawed--in theory or in practice--people freak the fuck out. WTF?
But like I said, I'm not against capitalism, just the way that it's practiced. That is, capitalism is practiced without a conscience and without any responsibility. The rich have created all these clever tools for taking advantage of the poor -- business tools, legal tools, rhetorical tools, political tools -- and they've found a way to make them work together to ensure that their property is never threatened and keeps growing. And they've made themselves anonymous with the advent of entities like corporations that allow them to exploit others from a distance.*
So, conscientious capitalism. That's what I'm pushing these days. If I could really have my way, I'd push for smaller communities where people actually know one another and where people were accountable to their community. Why? Because I think that's what really makes life pleasant and peaceful. So many people are deprived of that opportunity to interact, but it's truly fulfilling. To enact a vision like that, however, means that we dissolve corporations entirely which isn't an easy task and in truth, has to be done ethically, otherwise you just create more misery, which is exactly what you're trying to avoid.
*Yes, corporations can do good too, but they also let people make decisions without feeling accountable to the community they're fucking over.