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I don't want this to turn into a political debate but isn't equality here just another word for communism? Is the word communism being avoided because of its ne

I don't want this to turn into a political debate but isn't equality here just another word for communism? Is the word communism being avoided because of its negative stigma? Or is there an actual difference?

stephenitis 3y ago
Similar but not same. equality focuses on providing equal opportunities and resources to everyone, communism is a broader ideology that seeks to restructure society’s economic and political systems to eliminate classes and ensure that resources are distributed based on need, not wealth or status. (my bad meant this comment as a reply to the other)
- williamcotton 3y ago
  In capitalism, resources are distributed based on the successful operations of organizations that can turn a profit. The value provided through demand for goods and services is itself the mechanism for distribution. Profit is the motivating factor to continue to provide these goods or services. “It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own self-interest. We address ourselves not to their humanity but to their self-love, and never talk to them of our own necessities, but of their advantages” ― Adam Smith, An Inquiry into the Nature & Causes of the Wealth of Nations, Vol 1
jemmyw 3y ago
No I don't believe so. Inequality is a metric that you can apply to any system. A communist system could have high inequality if it rewarded some skills with a big imbalance. Capitalism as an economic system doesn't really say much about the political system other than that you have the freedom to invest private capital. That could be under a democracy or a dictatorship of various kinds, it's just easier with additional freedoms. Further, capitalism is only saying that all or some of your economy is free from central planning, it doesn't say that your profits from capital are free from being taxed to distribute wealth, and it doesn't say that you are free from regulation that might do various things to improve equality, including wage laws. Some of the things in our system are specifically unequal and anti capitalist. For example, classes of investor: you need a certain level of income to make some investments.
- stephenitis 3y ago
  Similar but not same. equality focuses on providing equal opportunities and resources to everyone, communism is a broader ideology that seeks to restructure society’s economic and political systems to eliminate classes and ensure that resources are distributed based on need, not wealth or status.
azaras 3y ago
Communism is not about equality but about workers owning the means of production.

stephenitis 3y ago

Similar but not same. equality focuses on providing equal opportunities and resources to everyone, communism is a broader ideology that seeks to restructure society’s economic and political systems to eliminate classes and ensure that resources are distributed based on need, not wealth or status. (my bad meant this comment as a reply to the other)

williamcotton 3y ago
In capitalism, resources are distributed based on the successful operations of organizations that can turn a profit. The value provided through demand for goods and services is itself the mechanism for distribution. Profit is the motivating factor to continue to provide these goods or services. “It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own self-interest. We address ourselves not to their humanity but to their self-love, and never talk to them of our own necessities, but of their advantages” ― Adam Smith, An Inquiry into the Nature & Causes of the Wealth of Nations, Vol 1

jemmyw 3y ago

No I don't believe so. Inequality is a metric that you can apply to any system. A communist system could have high inequality if it rewarded some skills with a big imbalance. Capitalism as an economic system doesn't really say much about the political system other than that you have the freedom to invest private capital. That could be under a democracy or a dictatorship of various kinds, it's just easier with additional freedoms. Further, capitalism is only saying that all or some of your economy is free from central planning, it doesn't say that your profits from capital are free from being taxed to distribute wealth, and it doesn't say that you are free from regulation that might do various things to improve equality, including wage laws. Some of the things in our system are specifically unequal and anti capitalist. For example, classes of investor: you need a certain level of income to make some investments.

stephenitis 3y ago
Similar but not same. equality focuses on providing equal opportunities and resources to everyone, communism is a broader ideology that seeks to restructure society’s economic and political systems to eliminate classes and ensure that resources are distributed based on need, not wealth or status.

azaras 3y ago

Communism is not about equality but about workers owning the means of production.