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> I hope this is the start of a nation wide trend towards better work life balance. Key to this is understanding the difference between capitalism and material

> I hope this is the start of a nation wide trend towards better work life balance. Key to this is understanding the difference between capitalism and materialism. The former drives innovation and improvememt. The latter breeds envy, poorly sorted priorities, and, ultimately, misery.

giantg2 5y ago
"The latter breeds envy, poorly sorted priorities, and, ultimately, misery." But is not exclusive to materialism. It can be a part of capitalism. I am miserable. I have to work for food, shelter, medical care, etc. I do get some othe material items, but usually they are very cheap things for hobbies. I just never have enough time to do the things I want to do because working for my necessities takes up too much of my time.
- smitty1e 5y ago
  You can define capitalism that way, but I would not.
  - giantg2 5y ago
    How would you define it?
    - smitty1e 5y ago
      Capitalism is buyer, seller, and marketplace with enough regulation to keep the trifecta stable. Capitalism is abstract and plural; the avarice of materialism is concrete and singular. The minimal regulation that stanilizes the sustem offers competitive feedback to mininize the tyranny of oligarchy that sets in when sellers get materialistic and buy the marketplace.
      - giantg2 5y ago
        Capitalism is really about the means of production, capital, being private and for-profit. You can have buyers, sellers, and markets in other types of economies, like communism or socialism. Capitalism and materialism aren't necessarily one or the other (plural/singular concrete/abstract). They can be applied both ways since they are adjectives. You could be describing an individual act or society as a whole. The predisposition of capital ownership and control (a materialistic view) can take place in socialist or communist marketplaces too. Sure, technically the ownership is either owned by the state or the people, but really the oligarchy ruling the state are the ones with power anyways.
        smitty1e 5y ago
        > Capitalism is really about the means of production, capital, being private and for-profit. You can have buyers, sellers, and markets in other types of economies, like communism or socialism. Capitalism is about minimally throttling creativity and private property. Communism/Socialism (thinking of the EU here) seem to view lack of regulation as chaos. No. Do not want.

giantg2 5y ago

"The latter breeds envy, poorly sorted priorities, and, ultimately, misery." But is not exclusive to materialism. It can be a part of capitalism. I am miserable. I have to work for food, shelter, medical care, etc. I do get some othe material items, but usually they are very cheap things for hobbies. I just never have enough time to do the things I want to do because working for my necessities takes up too much of my time.

smitty1e 5y ago
You can define capitalism that way, but I would not.
- giantg2 5y ago
  How would you define it?
  - smitty1e 5y ago
    Capitalism is buyer, seller, and marketplace with enough regulation to keep the trifecta stable. Capitalism is abstract and plural; the avarice of materialism is concrete and singular. The minimal regulation that stanilizes the sustem offers competitive feedback to mininize the tyranny of oligarchy that sets in when sellers get materialistic and buy the marketplace.
    - giantg2 5y ago
      Capitalism is really about the means of production, capital, being private and for-profit. You can have buyers, sellers, and markets in other types of economies, like communism or socialism. Capitalism and materialism aren't necessarily one or the other (plural/singular concrete/abstract). They can be applied both ways since they are adjectives. You could be describing an individual act or society as a whole. The predisposition of capital ownership and control (a materialistic view) can take place in socialist or communist marketplaces too. Sure, technically the ownership is either owned by the state or the people, but really the oligarchy ruling the state are the ones with power anyways.
      - smitty1e 5y ago
        > Capitalism is really about the means of production, capital, being private and for-profit. You can have buyers, sellers, and markets in other types of economies, like communism or socialism. Capitalism is about minimally throttling creativity and private property. Communism/Socialism (thinking of the EU here) seem to view lack of regulation as chaos. No. Do not want.