General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: The Probelm With Capitalism [View all]PETRUS
(3,678 posts)Perhaps with clarification it would make some sense to me, but I can't think of a way to interpret it that doesn't render it either false, or meaningless.
I'll give you some thoughts so you have something to go on if you do want to discuss it.
Formal human civilizations date back maybe 5,000 years. In the grand scheme of things, capitalism is fairly new - around 500 years old, give or take. At the time it got its start (in England), most of the world's people (and most people living in England) lived lives of self-sufficiency. People had access to land and natural resources and mostly provided for themselves. Part of what was done to create the "basic conditions" for capitalism was mass dispossession. There wasn't a sufficiently large and willing labor force - not even close. People had to be cut off from the land and resources they had been accustomed to using. (This was a violent process, both within England and in the context of colonization. The English were meticulous record-keepers and prolific writers, so there's plenty of original source material describing this in conscious detail.) The imposition and administration of a private property regime (particularly with respect to land) and the creation or nationally/internationally integrated markets - both things capitalism requires - necessitated a strong government with extensive reach (and bureaucratic competence) and the muscle to enforce compliance. So, sure, if these (and some other) "basic conditions" exist, we have capitalism. It was, however, a deliberate process involving significant coercion. That is true of any formal economy (how often do people come to a unanimous decision on anything?). If people were forced to follow a different set of rules, we'd have something else - and there plenty of historical examples of various "something elses." That's why I say one way I read your comment renders it meaningless. It's also my impression that very few people have any knowledge of the history and specificity of capitalism, which is why I say another way to read your comment renders it false.
Care to share your thoughts?