Thank you, it can be hard to get across the nuance of the various social systems with some people who are fully against capitalism, even if I by and large agree with their criticisms. There are so many advances that may never have come to fruition in a market-less or feudalistic society, like the abolishment of slavery, LGBTQ rights, marijuana legalization, and the relative calm/peace of our time, not that these are perfect or fully/permanently actualized yet either. By opening up independent paths to sustenance and self-actualization you can empower people who otherwise would’ve been trapped under the thumb of lords or councilors.
The problem is that despite presenting potential opportunities, it can also be corruptible and bring its own injustices to society. I see the administration of capitalism like how the American founders remarked about democracy – it requires the occasional watering with the blood of tyrants (oligarchs) and patriots to thrive. No system is fully uncorruptible, capitalism included, but the systems suggested by staunch anti-capitalists (state markets, anarcho-communism) tend to veer toward authoritarian cruelty and societal regression way faster than countries with free markets.
My personal take is that a heavily socialized society is needed to prop up a more stable and just market system. We need permanent, effective social safety nets, strong union support and deference, free voting and more fair/equal representation, regular monopoly-busting and wealth/inheritance taxes, and depending on the output of our markets, a universal basic income (NOT as a replacement of safety nets).
That’s SocDem talk. I’m a bit more radical - I believe that capitalism’s time has passed, and it’s high time for a replacement in developed countries. It had its uses, but clinging to it helps no one at this point. Ultimately, the flaws of capitalism are inherent to the system - as outlined, many of the benefits of the system are effectively the same as its drawbacks.
Ideally, a socialist market economy dominated by firms in the form of workers’ coops like Mondragon Corp is probably the best next step in human civilization, even if that too has its own set of drawbacks.
Thank you, it can be hard to get across the nuance of the various social systems with some people who are fully against capitalism, even if I by and large agree with their criticisms. There are so many advances that may never have come to fruition in a market-less or feudalistic society, like the abolishment of slavery, LGBTQ rights, marijuana legalization, and the relative calm/peace of our time, not that these are perfect or fully/permanently actualized yet either. By opening up independent paths to sustenance and self-actualization you can empower people who otherwise would’ve been trapped under the thumb of lords or councilors.
The problem is that despite presenting potential opportunities, it can also be corruptible and bring its own injustices to society. I see the administration of capitalism like how the American founders remarked about democracy – it requires the occasional watering with the blood of tyrants (oligarchs) and patriots to thrive. No system is fully uncorruptible, capitalism included, but the systems suggested by staunch anti-capitalists (state markets, anarcho-communism) tend to veer toward authoritarian cruelty and societal regression way faster than countries with free markets.
My personal take is that a heavily socialized society is needed to prop up a more stable and just market system. We need permanent, effective social safety nets, strong union support and deference, free voting and more fair/equal representation, regular monopoly-busting and wealth/inheritance taxes, and depending on the output of our markets, a universal basic income (NOT as a replacement of safety nets).
That’s SocDem talk. I’m a bit more radical - I believe that capitalism’s time has passed, and it’s high time for a replacement in developed countries. It had its uses, but clinging to it helps no one at this point. Ultimately, the flaws of capitalism are inherent to the system - as outlined, many of the benefits of the system are effectively the same as its drawbacks.
Ideally, a socialist market economy dominated by firms in the form of workers’ coops like Mondragon Corp is probably the best next step in human civilization, even if that too has its own set of drawbacks.
I’m even more radical than that, personally I look towards Rojava and it’s anarchy-lite confederalism