Capitalism & Morality

Do you think the two are compatible?

By morality, I meant 'good' morals. The universal morals that all major religious tomes and ways of life shed light on, however different the colors of that light might be.

 

I wonder if you would be kind enough to outline the particulars of the universals?

 

They are compatible. Capitalism never tried to eliminate poverty, but through charity we have attempted to reduce it.

 

Yes, they are absolutely compatible. In fact, capitalism is the ONLY economic system that is moral.

 

Workers get laid off so the parasitic owners can snort drugs off a hookers ass. Do you think if there was a draft, Bill Gates would be sent to die in Iraq? We are suppose to created equally yet if I am the son a CEO, I am better then the son a farmer.

Anarchism is the ONLY moral system as it is the only truly democratic system. Production is control democratically and the system conforms to the wishes of the people. If the people want to get rid of money and have free access well under Anarchist Spain a few cities did. If the people want to keep money Anarchism is fine with that too.

 

Capitalism as we know it today isn't moral at all. Today's capitalism is state capitalism, and is headed by a global crime syndicate.

I am in favor of a free market economy, but what we see today doesn't really resemble a truly free market at all. What we see today is crony state capitalism at its worst.

 

Layoffs happen during bad economies...deal with it. It doesn't mean that the owners lay off the workers because they're mean-spirited and want the workers to be unhappy; they do it because business demands it (which is the same reason they hired the workers in the first place).

This is much better than socialism or communism, in which EVERYONE suffers.

The draft has nothing to do with capitalism or any other economic system, so I'll ignore that straw man. The son of a CEO and the son of a farmer are both free to pursue whatever aspirations they have.

You're an authoritarian statist, and a communist...about the farthest possible thing from an anarchist. "Production is controlled democratically?" That's not anarchism, as there's nothing to vote on (nor any means of voting) in an anarchy. Anarchist Spain? When has Spain ever been an anarchy, except for a few weeks at a time in between governments? There is ALWAYS someone to immediately fill any power vacuum.

 

I agree with Pressed_Rat, in the extent that a free-market is the ideal economy. I'm only half way through, "The Worldly Philosophers" so that may change, but insofar as capitalism is controlled, it cannot function morally.

Like Adam Smith said, "Let the market be".

By universal laws, many of them are lost in translation. Gravitas, Bushido, the middle path, I take what is the same and leave out what is different. Though usually, what is different turns out to be the same.

I believe contradictions switch as a function of time.

On the other hand, I just find that capitalism - the pure, unregulated avarice of man is not moral at all. As an economic system for 'man', I believe capitalism does not take into consideration the higher economic system of the world. It has always been man first and foremost, and I do not agree with that. Unlike equality, equilibrium can be attained.

This is not a call to, "return to the trees, my brethren!" It is merely an acknowledgement that it is time to stop knowing the price of everything, and start understanding the value.

And if anyone could answer me this, i'd be grateful. Does the capitalist system have a place for artists? Musicians, writers, etc...? Because in themselves, their labor creates something of insignificant value to the physiological well-being of other people. It is this extra that I believe makes all mechanical modes of economy unsuitable. We also need a metaphysical economy to suit our metaphysical being.

Meh, that's kind of a ramble there.

 

The wage of a CEO can support hundreds if not thousands of workers yet it is the workers that gets the layoffs instead of the CEO taking a pay cut.

Capitalism is what leads to this inequality

You know nothing of Anarchism, Anarchism is the distruction of hierarchical systems so they can be replaced by democracy. Anarchist are fighting for direct democracy.

You also know nothing of communism, communism and anarchy are compatible as long as there is no hierarchial system.

During the Spanish civilwar and the did democratically run the means of production and where better at production then capitalist. They even had communist communities working perfectly with the rest of the anarchist system.

 

This is a timely discussion, in light of the Pope's recent passing. Here's one of his early encyclicals on the subject:

http://www.vatican.va/edocs/ENG0217/_INDEX.HTM

 

I personally know a Dell executive that quit his job because he was sick of having to unnecessarily lay off workers. Dell does it every time they want to make their stocks look a little better.

Most corporations play with people's lives like they are figures on a chess board, not like they are living breathing human beings with mortgages to pay and children to feed. They'd rather lay off hundreds of people that are living month to month than make a little less profit themselves.

A new trend is starting to pop-up though, where it is starting to be "in" for companies to be charitable, treat employees well, and be environmentally responsible. Hopefully the meme will catch on and the results will improve society greatly.

I think capitalism and morality can co-exist. But it is the consumers that need to demand it.

 

The problem with voting with dollars is that rich people have money therefore more votes. Anarchism system of "one worker, one vote" is more democratic way to keep to run production.

 

True, but the lot of us poor people shopping at wal-mart and such add up to a lot more than these few rich people.

 

Yes but people got to wal-mart because of price. Wal-Mart is cheap not because it owners are getting little return, it is cheap because the labour is cheap. If Wal-Mart went under worker control and no longer had owners, then the workering conditions would go up without the need to raise prices.

 

You fools.

It is no wonder that this site lacks real profundity. Our thread originator states that the universal morals are based in religious texts and has Heraclitus quoted in his signature.

The two could not be more antithetical.

Why has this developed into the discussion it has?

Your discussion is based on particulars that are not announced and are not discussed but are certainly assumed.

What a joke.

 

OSF.

'Our tread originator states that the universal morals are based in religious texts and has Heraclitus quoted in his signature."

I typed that the 'universal morals' are based not only on religious texts but also on 'ways of life'. This is up to your interpretation. I am not as arrogant to tell you what those ways of life are. It is up to you to conclude a uniformity in all that sense. That is my subjective bias.

I don't believe that you should judge the development of the discussion solely upon the 'antithetical' statements that I have made. I do not control the posters in this forum.

You judge, but do not explain.

What a joke.

Furthermore, any quote is out of context by default. You should know that. I only quote Heraclitus because I sincerely believe that nothing is static.

 

You can't belive that nothing is static but posit universal morals based on religious texts and ways of life.

 

I'm sorry, I can.

Morals are all that keep us human.

Think of a world without morals. What would we be? Without any sense of good and evil. Right and wrong.

On the other hand, my quote states that, 'everything is becoming'.

And by that, I believe it encompasses even morals.

 

Morals are all that keep us human?

What a load.

I think of a world without morals, so did Nietzsche, Sartre, Marleau-Ponty, Bauman, Frayn, etc.

Morals are not all that keeps us human. Without a concept of good and evil we would still be human.

Have you not read any philosophy whatsoever?

By the way, “you fools” is plural.

 

hi there

moral for who

those who believe in the capitalists
idea for there working classes
with religion and class divide....
cause the conflict within this
system,the morals grow
from the way in which every government
is running a place at any time in history....
even down to cartoons tv news lack of info
in any part of time.all capitalists companies
who will promote the governments moral
ideas free for the world to become blind too
what is the reality in the world with wars etc...

but as for morals, no government
should dictate to us
we should be well aware of human morals
..ie human needs.the earths needs..
for the year 2004,,ie wars class divide
poverty hunger poor education
health care,lack of it...low wages
poor attempt to save the planet
homeless people, etc list is long

these are all political factors of a capitalists world
world for profit.
so morals and capitalism only work together well
when we are unaware of our slavery,
to greed...

anyway
on one hand no they dont mix
morals capitalism
and on the other yes they mix well

as i stated above......

lovenpeace from saff
end capitalism
end moral oppression
be whole
be yourself.
and long live socialism...