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Whatever the merits of socialism vs. capitalism in the past, doesn't this sort of progress portend an eventual move toward the former? And is this necessarily
by fatman 13y ago
Whatever the merits of socialism vs. capitalism in the past, doesn't this sort of progress portend an eventual move toward the former? And is this necessarily a bad thing - when machines do more of the work, shouldn't humans be at leisure - or free to pursue formerly "frivolous" careers in arts, literature, sport, etc. while being supported by a strong social safety net?
- dnautics 13y agowell, no, socialism is a system where a central authority decides the allocation of resources. The guiding philosophy is "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs" - and what constitutes "ability" and what constitutes "need" become very important questions, and whoever gets to make those decisions wields incredible power. Free-marketism, by contrast, exerts no moral judgement on the needs (or wants) of individuals nor who can provide by what ability, and lets the individuals work those parameters out in a decentralized fashion. If one wants to pursue "frivolous" careers, that's fine, so long as the needs that require the effort of other people (materiel, supply, whatever) can be met through free enterprise. Capitalism is a different beast altogether, where "the accumulation of capital" is in and of itself considered a moral virtue.