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> That is preferable to the society which underproduces things and where large part of your survival depends on you skill in finding how to satisfy basic needs

> That is preferable to the society which underproduces things and where large part of your survival depends on you skill in finding how to satisfy basic needs - food, shelter, etc. I'd rather watch ads than be hungry. And that is perfectly correct. One thing I might add is that capitalism looks much like communism in the long run as companies merge, fuse and become bigger and bigger, because centralisation and control are the key for efficiency. Wasn't it in the news recently? One of the biggest companies on this planet on a mission to get a share of every transaction on this planet.

smsm42 9y ago
> is that capitalism looks much like communism in the long run Not sure what you mean here. In the long run, any communist country has ended up either being completely ruined (USSR, Venezuela, Cuba, North Korea) or turning back to capitalism (China, Viet Nam, East Europe). Surely capitalism's track record is not that sordid. > as companies merge, fuse and become bigger and bigger Companies also break up and whither away. > because centralisation and control are the key for efficiency Only for very narrow understanding of efficiency, taken as saving money on very mundane tasks. The same harsh reality of information flows that leads to socialist central planning end up in disaster in the long run applies to the capitalist conglomerates. Unless they are centralized only by name (as it is the case in holding companies, not exercising centralized operational control), they grow rigid, their technologies and business processes grow stale, and eventually they are beaten by young and hungry newcomers to the market. The only way that they know to resist this process is to enshrine their way of doing business and their position in the market by coopting government regulation and raising entry barriers. That's why they spend so much money on lobbying - it is one of the most profitable investments known to mankind. > One of the biggest companies on this planet on a mission to get a share of every transaction on this planet. Not sure what that is about. Which company is that?
- jimmyspice 9y ago
  Visa and MasterCard I guess
ionised 9y ago
Surely you mean fascism rather than communism? That kind of reckless corporatism was a core tenet of early fascist ideology.

smsm42 9y ago

> is that capitalism looks much like communism in the long run Not sure what you mean here. In the long run, any communist country has ended up either being completely ruined (USSR, Venezuela, Cuba, North Korea) or turning back to capitalism (China, Viet Nam, East Europe). Surely capitalism's track record is not that sordid. > as companies merge, fuse and become bigger and bigger Companies also break up and whither away. > because centralisation and control are the key for efficiency Only for very narrow understanding of efficiency, taken as saving money on very mundane tasks. The same harsh reality of information flows that leads to socialist central planning end up in disaster in the long run applies to the capitalist conglomerates. Unless they are centralized only by name (as it is the case in holding companies, not exercising centralized operational control), they grow rigid, their technologies and business processes grow stale, and eventually they are beaten by young and hungry newcomers to the market. The only way that they know to resist this process is to enshrine their way of doing business and their position in the market by coopting government regulation and raising entry barriers. That's why they spend so much money on lobbying - it is one of the most profitable investments known to mankind. > One of the biggest companies on this planet on a mission to get a share of every transaction on this planet. Not sure what that is about. Which company is that?

jimmyspice 9y ago
Visa and MasterCard I guess

ionised 9y ago

Surely you mean fascism rather than communism? That kind of reckless corporatism was a core tenet of early fascist ideology.