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The goal of capitalism is to produce more than one is capable of consuming (i.e. market economy where one produces and sells to multiple people instead of just

The goal of capitalism is to produce more than one is capable of consuming (i.e. market economy where one produces and sells to multiple people instead of just themselves). There are various equilibrium states between supply and demand, but utility is infinite. If utility is infinite, then the goal of production is to satisfy an equally infinite debt to maximizing utility.

Sevii 9y ago
How does capitalism have a goal? That is like claiming evolution has w goal. Don't anthropomorphize it.
- coldtea 9y ago
  Capitalism has a very clear goal: make more money, sell more stuff. And the culture around capitalism in different countries, gives it even more specific goals (the american dream, the rat race, etc). >That is like claiming evolution has w goal. Don't anthropomorphize it. Isn't this statement obviously wrong? Evolution is a process in nature. Capitalism is a human invention. One can't anthropomorphize it, because it's already anthropomorphized by the fact that it's a human endeavor.
  - nerdponx 9y ago
    What liar told you that? Capitalism is an emergent system. Nobody designed capitalism.
    - Angostura 9y ago
      If capitalism is emergent it emerged from people's desire to make more money, sell more stuff.
    - coldtea 9y ago
      >What liar told you that? "Liar"? This choice of wording sounds like a quasi-religious attack. Like they're blasphemers or something, that dared misinform about capitalism. No chance they could be right, or at least just misguided, instead of "liars"? Or that the subject being more complicated than a binary like "designed/emergent"? Now, to the gist of it. Numerous human societies existed that weren't capitalist. In fact in many countries (of the last 2-5 centuries) capitalism was imposed along with colonialism, and otherwise they continued their ancient ways of living and trading. It is widely accepted that what we call capitalism (as opposed to mere exchange and trade, which existed since forever) was born around 13-14th century in Europe. In any case, whether it was emergent or designed doesn't mean much. It was both: it was collectively shaped (emergent), by several influences, but it also had clearly designed elements (from contract and labor law, to central banks and monetary policy). National law for one gives a very precise framework that molds capitalism in a certain shape in different countries, and that law was designed by actual humans with specific purposes and goals in mind. And of course, something being "emergent" and that thing having "anthropomorphic" elements (if you refer to the second part of my comment) is not contradictory -- if that something emerged by human action within human societies.
nerdponx 9y ago
The goal of capitalism is to produce more than one is capable of consuming This is the goal of any economic system as far as I can tell. I don't see how ownership of the means of production matters. If utility is infinite, then the goal of production is to satisfy an equally infinite debt to maximizing utility Sort of. This is why we have sympathy/empathy, social mores, the rule of law, and finally the threat of Malthusian apocalypse. Each of these, in order of increasing severity, exists as a budget constraint on greed in service of utility maximization. And again, this has nothing to do with capitalism specifically -- it would be true in any economic system. Socialist and communist governments in the 20th century went to great lengths in order to remind us of that.
- ShabbosGoy 9y ago
  > Socialist and communist governments in the 20th century went to great lengths in order to remind us of that. Fundamentally, I think it comes down to power relationships. The market economy is a proxy for power relations. Communist (and fascist) governments removed the market economy and replaced it with authoritarian servitude. God shifts from the Economy to the State.

Sevii 9y ago

How does capitalism have a goal? That is like claiming evolution has w goal. Don't anthropomorphize it.

coldtea 9y ago
Capitalism has a very clear goal: make more money, sell more stuff. And the culture around capitalism in different countries, gives it even more specific goals (the american dream, the rat race, etc). >That is like claiming evolution has w goal. Don't anthropomorphize it. Isn't this statement obviously wrong? Evolution is a process in nature. Capitalism is a human invention. One can't anthropomorphize it, because it's already anthropomorphized by the fact that it's a human endeavor.
- nerdponx 9y ago
  What liar told you that? Capitalism is an emergent system. Nobody designed capitalism.
  - Angostura 9y ago
    If capitalism is emergent it emerged from people's desire to make more money, sell more stuff.
  - coldtea 9y ago
    >What liar told you that? "Liar"? This choice of wording sounds like a quasi-religious attack. Like they're blasphemers or something, that dared misinform about capitalism. No chance they could be right, or at least just misguided, instead of "liars"? Or that the subject being more complicated than a binary like "designed/emergent"? Now, to the gist of it. Numerous human societies existed that weren't capitalist. In fact in many countries (of the last 2-5 centuries) capitalism was imposed along with colonialism, and otherwise they continued their ancient ways of living and trading. It is widely accepted that what we call capitalism (as opposed to mere exchange and trade, which existed since forever) was born around 13-14th century in Europe. In any case, whether it was emergent or designed doesn't mean much. It was both: it was collectively shaped (emergent), by several influences, but it also had clearly designed elements (from contract and labor law, to central banks and monetary policy). National law for one gives a very precise framework that molds capitalism in a certain shape in different countries, and that law was designed by actual humans with specific purposes and goals in mind. And of course, something being "emergent" and that thing having "anthropomorphic" elements (if you refer to the second part of my comment) is not contradictory -- if that something emerged by human action within human societies.

nerdponx 9y ago

The goal of capitalism is to produce more than one is capable of consuming This is the goal of any economic system as far as I can tell. I don't see how ownership of the means of production matters. If utility is infinite, then the goal of production is to satisfy an equally infinite debt to maximizing utility Sort of. This is why we have sympathy/empathy, social mores, the rule of law, and finally the threat of Malthusian apocalypse. Each of these, in order of increasing severity, exists as a budget constraint on greed in service of utility maximization. And again, this has nothing to do with capitalism specifically -- it would be true in any economic system. Socialist and communist governments in the 20th century went to great lengths in order to remind us of that.

ShabbosGoy 9y ago
> Socialist and communist governments in the 20th century went to great lengths in order to remind us of that. Fundamentally, I think it comes down to power relationships. The market economy is a proxy for power relations. Communist (and fascist) governments removed the market economy and replaced it with authoritarian servitude. God shifts from the Economy to the State.