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That would be fine if the workers owned the means, but they don't. Capitalism effectively requires labor-saving devices to cause maximum social harm. As always,

That would be fine if the workers owned the means, but they don't. Capitalism effectively requires labor-saving devices to cause maximum social harm. As always, it privatizes the gains and socializes the losses.

black_knight 2y ago
Indeed. Sounds like we have found the root of the problem. Let us then turn our minds to solving it. I’m sure we can think of something!
- satvikpendem 2y ago
  We tried looking into different solutions, turns out it didn't work quite so well as we predicted! Only capitalism has driven the single greatest increase in living standards in history, something that should be tamed, yes, but not extinguished outright. There is a reason why even the most ardent communist states have now reverted to capitalism in order to grow and prosper.
  - da_chicken 2y ago
    I would point out that we were the most successful and had the highest standard of living when unions were strongest. When tax laws and financial regulation made it unprofitable to try to hoard wealth to the degree of 19th or 21st century robber barons. Look what capitalism has done for tech. The general public now distrusts and is frustrated by silicon valley. Privacy and rights to repair have encouraged rent-seeking and fabrication of get-rich-quick schemes at the expense of natural resources and public health. User experiences and software quality trend downward. The primary purpose of new technology like AI is transparently to enrich the owners rather than to provide real benefits or services, and the first thing they all did was purge their ethics committees. Oh, yes, capitalism is doing great things for computers. Just look at the great advancements in the fields of wealth extraction, resource consumption, energy expenditure, and legislative capture. But don't worry, it's not their fault because "corporations have a fiduciary duty to maximize profits," a phrase which is sure to be writ on the tombstone of the founding ideals of this country.

black_knight 2y ago

Indeed. Sounds like we have found the root of the problem. Let us then turn our minds to solving it. I’m sure we can think of something!

satvikpendem 2y ago
We tried looking into different solutions, turns out it didn't work quite so well as we predicted! Only capitalism has driven the single greatest increase in living standards in history, something that should be tamed, yes, but not extinguished outright. There is a reason why even the most ardent communist states have now reverted to capitalism in order to grow and prosper.
- da_chicken 2y ago
  I would point out that we were the most successful and had the highest standard of living when unions were strongest. When tax laws and financial regulation made it unprofitable to try to hoard wealth to the degree of 19th or 21st century robber barons. Look what capitalism has done for tech. The general public now distrusts and is frustrated by silicon valley. Privacy and rights to repair have encouraged rent-seeking and fabrication of get-rich-quick schemes at the expense of natural resources and public health. User experiences and software quality trend downward. The primary purpose of new technology like AI is transparently to enrich the owners rather than to provide real benefits or services, and the first thing they all did was purge their ethics committees. Oh, yes, capitalism is doing great things for computers. Just look at the great advancements in the fields of wealth extraction, resource consumption, energy expenditure, and legislative capture. But don't worry, it's not their fault because "corporations have a fiduciary duty to maximize profits," a phrase which is sure to be writ on the tombstone of the founding ideals of this country.