The recent financial troubles have opened debates in certain quarters about something call
ed “capitalism”. Do the bailouts mean the end of “capitalism”? Did the “free market” fail? Does this prove socialism is better?
I have some problems with the terms of this debate. For one thing, I think I agree with a point often made by James Bowman that there’s really no such thing as “capitalism”. There’s no “ism” about “capital” that embodies a philosophy or ideology that anyone seriously subscribes to. Bowman suggests that the term “capitalism” was an invention of early socialists, a label they could slap on what they opposed (primarily, private property) so they could oppose it more effectively. I suspect he is right.
If you think about it, what gets called “capitalism”, in most discussions, is really justfreedom. Am I free to give you X in exchange for Y? Are you free to give me Y in return? All most “capitalists” really want is for the answer to be yes. That is not any kind all-pervading ideology about “capital” that justifies glorifying it with a separate “ism”; all that “capitalists” (such as myself) are saying is that people should be free to exchange their stuff with each other if they wanna. Don’t call me a fricking “capitalist” just for that, for crissakes. If anything, I’m a freedomist.
My comment? There is nowhere you can look on the planet Earth, nor is there anytime in history, where you will not find what Academics call Capitalism.
It's just free trade.
One caveman hunts bison, and another picks grapes. The first cavemen trades some of his bison for some grapes.
Then, some other caveman buys some grapes and decides he doesn't like them. So, he throws them in a pile in the corner of his cave.
They sit there until they start to smell. The caveman decides he likes the way they taste better once they have started to smell. He also likes the way they make him feel.
He trades the smelly grapes to the other cavemen, and everybody likes the way the smelly grapes make them feel.
And thus, hyper-Capitalism was born.
Anybody got a problem with that?
9 comments:
I guess that's true of everything.
But, tell me, how can you run down a system which ensures that you can buy a "Cube" of wine for $15?
I saw this product at Target the other day.
Capitalism is awesome, when it produces monstrosities such as this:
http://pressroom.target.com/pr/news/consumables/wine/backgrounder.aspx
Epaminondas,
There is no Capitalism verses freedom. In general, the freest societies have the freest economies. If not for Islam-o-Fascism, Marxism/Communism would be by far the most oppressive system in power on Earth today.
I think Islamism has a pretty bad track record too.
Their track record is so bad, and they are so disorganized, we don't even know how many people they have killed.
Pastorius,
I'm not arguing with you. I just think that the only ideology in power that can come close to competing with Islamism, for most evil totalitarian ideology is communism.
Private property = freedom
You can't have one without the other.
BTW I was snarkily paraphrasing Churchill on democracy
Epa,
I knew that. I was just kind of observing.
Sad, both you and Damien thought I was arguing. I must be edgy today.
Good thing you guys don't have to hang around with me, huh?
Damien,
I agree with you.
Epaminondas,
You said,
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Private property = freedom
You can't have one without the other.
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Too bad more people don't realize things like that. People will not voluntarily live the way communists think they should live. In fact, for the most part, communism goes against innate human tendencies so much, that people won't behave the way communism tells them to. even with the most extreme coercion. But even if you could make it work, who would decide who or could or should use what, and when they could or should us it, without private property. The only possibility I can see, is an all powerful authority, and someone with that much power is all but guaranteed to abuse it. Its human nature after all.
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