tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8179545922823777870.post9212068644123017538..comments2023-07-04T06:47:26.125-04:00Comments on Everything In The Medicine Cabinet Has Expired: Capitalists Need to Make a DecisionSpencer Troxellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03750605353914336538noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8179545922823777870.post-87168858582354981232012-05-30T09:24:08.084-04:002012-05-30T09:24:08.084-04:00Thanks, Willie!Thanks, Willie!Spencer Troxellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03750605353914336538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8179545922823777870.post-20780929913195946172012-05-30T07:08:12.453-04:002012-05-30T07:08:12.453-04:00Another great post as alway Spencer.Another great post as alway Spencer.Willie Yhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13947859182677829335noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8179545922823777870.post-49198039854932542892012-05-29T13:47:30.269-04:002012-05-29T13:47:30.269-04:00"In the end, to fix capitalism, it will take ..."In the end, to fix capitalism, it will take the rise of humanity asserting itself as being in control of the tool and not the tool controling the human being."<br /><br />That's a great and concise way to put it.Spencer Troxellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03750605353914336538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8179545922823777870.post-39464900303235693362012-05-29T12:37:41.497-04:002012-05-29T12:37:41.497-04:00Spencer, this is something I have been thinking ab...Spencer, this is something I have been thinking about for quite some time as well. I like how you seem to have incorporated some Stephen J. Gould into your thoughts on Capitalism. I believe that when we limit the ecosystem to only one paradigm*, we limit our abilities to improve the system (i.e. GM not adopting the models that Toyota used). <br /><br />All of this is, of course, a teleological argument. I have always found it disconcerting when business people and organizational development types bring up the "triple bottom line" of "people, planet, and profit." The problem with this argument is the fact that people do not act and cannot act in such a way within a purely capitalist frame work. One role of government, religious (theist and nontheist) institutions, educational institutions, non-profits, groups, clubs, etc. is to feed the remarkably disparate aspects of the human being. This is why it is best not try and have pastors make public policy per se, or have legislators willy nilly fiddle with schools. Human beings create these nitches so as to fix particular problems with particular tools. A church is a particular tool for a particular problem. A corporation another. A government still another. When we try and bring these institutions into a unified theory of another institution we are missing the mark. The unified theory is the human being himself or herself.<br /><br />So, I would argue our big problem with capitalism is that we are expecting it to do things outside of its utilitarian creation. People should give more to charity, but it is hard to argue that a corporation is going to do this without some ulterior motive whereas a person is free to give for an ulterior motive or for goodness sake (to borrow a phrase used often by Daniel Dennet).<br /><br />In the end, to fix capitalism, it will take the rise of humanity asserting itself as being in control of the tool and not the tool controling the human being. Capitalism, progressivism, anything really can often become a case of the tail wagging the dog.<br /><br /><br /><br />* The question can of course be asked if we have only one paradigm. Take Republican capitalism, which many would believe to be monolithic. However, we know that upon closer inspection it is hardly that at all. Rather, social conservatism, lazzez faire, Neo Conservative all exist under one banner. The give and take of all of these (which I admit was more pronounced in '00 than it is today) works seamlessly enough that it creates a unified front. Yet, the rise of a shrill group of purists has led to the fall of such smooth working. Yet, I suspect that even if we looked more closely at these purists we should find frayed edges. Nothing is a pure economic system not even American Capitalism.Philiphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14575487473362849333noreply@blogger.com