capitalism
Out of context: Reply #432
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- locustsloth0
i never said that we should flip a switch and become a socialist system overnight. That would never work. And you're wrong, the big problem isn't incentive, it's greed. Incentive in a collective society will eventual derive from the social pressure of everyone working for a common good. If you're the odd man out, not keeping your end of the deal up, you'll be ostricized or cut out of the deal.
With greed, if you are taking more resources, you are, in the same way, not holding up your end of the bargain, but also have an advantage because of the extra resources, which makes it more dangerous.
and i would argue that while there may not be as MANY innovations due to the lack of material motivation, the quality of those fewer innovations would be greater, as there would be no drive to increase profit margins by cutting cost. People would do their best because that's what everyone needed.
And certainly there would be (and are, already, in a capitalist society) people who take with no intention of ever giving back because they can operate that way and have no incentive to do otherwise. But, again, you have to look at a long term strategy as far as the ideal way for a society to grow and progress. As we can plainly see, the endgame for capitalism is less people accruing more of the wealth and, in turn, power to manipulate the system to their own gain. It is ultimately unsustainable for a people as a whole (those at the top will obviously do fine).
If people were able to manage the balancing act of working for the common good, ideally, the system is infinitely sustainable. Unfortunately it would take a whole society changing from a self-centered way of thinking to an other-oriented way of thinking, and that's extremely hard to do. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't try and find a way to it.
If you are hungry and there's a pile of shit in a clearing next to you, but a banquet on the other side of a seemingly impenetrable forest, do you just eat the shit, or try to find a way to what you really want and need?