In my humble opinion
During a lunch time debate, my ‘opponents’ tried to convince me that capitalism is congruent with human nature. Since the waitress arrived before the argument could continue and I couldn't get my opinion in, I'm getting some things off my chest.
Their pro-capitalist argument was based on the assumption that human nature is inherently greedy and competitive. An opinion shared by a lot of people as I'm discovering. Whether greed motivates or is a consequence of the system, it is not fair making such a generalization. It we are greedy by nature then how do we explain selflessness, altruism, and social cooperation, which can be observed throughout the world and read about in history books? There are people who thrive in a capitalist state without being corrupted by it and have defined themselves by other more desirable human qualities.
Capitalism is nothing more than another man made system that a certain subset has chosen to implement and follow. Class divided societies and private property have really only existed for 10,000 years. Were early homo sapiens completely misguided and ignoring their natural instinct by functioning as nomadic hunter gatherers for million of years? Even today there are small communities around the world that thrive on the concept of labor exchange and communal agriculture.
It's important not to mix environmentally influenced behavior with human nature. The fact is, our nature gives us the ability to be adaptable and makes choices. The socio economic systems set in place throughout the world are ever evolving theories based on the needs of current societies. Taking full advantage of a system that measures success by gains of wealth and material possessions and then allowing that system to alter your moral fiber is a matter of choice. However, it’s ridiculous to blame human nature for all the negative consequences associated with such a decision.
Their pro-capitalist argument was based on the assumption that human nature is inherently greedy and competitive. An opinion shared by a lot of people as I'm discovering. Whether greed motivates or is a consequence of the system, it is not fair making such a generalization. It we are greedy by nature then how do we explain selflessness, altruism, and social cooperation, which can be observed throughout the world and read about in history books? There are people who thrive in a capitalist state without being corrupted by it and have defined themselves by other more desirable human qualities.
Capitalism is nothing more than another man made system that a certain subset has chosen to implement and follow. Class divided societies and private property have really only existed for 10,000 years. Were early homo sapiens completely misguided and ignoring their natural instinct by functioning as nomadic hunter gatherers for million of years? Even today there are small communities around the world that thrive on the concept of labor exchange and communal agriculture.
It's important not to mix environmentally influenced behavior with human nature. The fact is, our nature gives us the ability to be adaptable and makes choices. The socio economic systems set in place throughout the world are ever evolving theories based on the needs of current societies. Taking full advantage of a system that measures success by gains of wealth and material possessions and then allowing that system to alter your moral fiber is a matter of choice. However, it’s ridiculous to blame human nature for all the negative consequences associated with such a decision.
posted by sammy at 11:30 AM
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