Discussion about this post

User's avatar
WriterMomof4's avatar

“how is the ultimate result of capitalism any different from the ultimate results of communism? Or fascism? Or any political ideology ever, for that matter?”

Other than the fact that capitalism has lifted more people out of poverty than any other system, while ideologies like communism, socialism, and fascism are responsible for impoverishing hundreds of millions and the worst genocides in all of human history?

I think it’s important to be able to distinguish between the evils of “crony capitalism” (which is not capitalism in any true sense) and actual capitalism, and not confuse the results of the two. To borrow from Sir Winston: Capitalism is the worst economic system, except for all of the other systems ever tried.

“There is no question that capitalist societies produce inequalities. A system based on freedom of choice with reward based on merit is bound to yield different results in different circumstances. It is this very quality that reflects capitalism’s natural effectiveness and practicality. It is the freedom to choose that makes us human. It is the profit incentive that drives us to work our hardest. It is our inherent and distinct ability to reason as individuals, not as collectives, that makes us truly free.” (Matt Barnes)

Now Sir Winston himself: “The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries.”

Expand full comment
Cat Thompson's avatar

I do so enjoy your articles....I know they will be well researched, relevant and almost always come on the heels of some discussion I'm having with people in which your article is a perfect "answer" to send them! Did you know the original game of Monopoly was called The Landlord's Game and it was meant to be a "practical demonstration of the present system of land grabbing with all its usual outcomes and consequences". She based the game on the economic principles of Georgism, a system proposed by Henry George, with the object of demonstrating how rents enrich property owners and impoverish tenants. She knew that some people could find it hard to understand why this happened and what might be done about it, and she thought that if Georgist ideas were put into the concrete form of a game, they might be easier to demonstrate. Magie also hoped that when played by children the game would provoke their natural suspicion of unfairness, and that they might carry this awareness into adulthood." Funny how the game was flipped from it's original intent to, as you suggest, teach children about winning at the expense of others. Thank you for sharing your unique perspective and your excellent writing!

Expand full comment
25 more comments...

No posts