Is capitalism (like a strangler vine) crushing the ethics out of people as its intensifies its pernicious grip

on human behaviour?

isnt the reducing of everything to money [sport, art, film etc] impoverishing us all...

..and opening the door to questionable selfish behaviour, because whenever a situation arises of choosing what is right against what is profitable, the virus capitalism has injected into our moral system is going to exert its stranglehold on our behaviour.

or at the very least is going to tempt even those with a strong and steadfast ethical make-up, to choose to do the dubious...before the choose to do right.



is that not a definition of corruption?

Is capitalism (like a strangler vine) crushing the ethics out of people as its intensifies its pernicious grip
I read somewhere that if a corporation was psychoanalysed, it would be classed as a psychopath. Not a murderer, but someone who feels absolutely nothing for anyone else, and exists in order to make personal gain. It only maintains relationships as long as it's gaining something. The article also mentioned how people are (effectively) encouraged to behave in a similar way in order to be successful within the corporate world. Kinda makes you think...



On the other hand, according to complexity theory, ANY model we devise to predict and run the world will have its limitations, and those limitations will show up as contradictions if we push the model to its limits (here, in attempting to benefit humans we are encouraged to be inhuman). That's why in the scifi stories robots make strange conclusions like deciding to aid humanity by destroying it: they can only operate within the limited logical processes that their designers gave them. But because the world we live in is complex and changeable, NO model can understand it completely. A new model would bring new problems. Instead, humans (who are more complex and adaptable than any model could be) have to counterbalance the strange conclusions that we might get faced with.
Reply:No.



Money is not the root of all evil. People choose to do evil sometimes out of greed for money. That's not money's fault. It's just a piece of paper.



Capitalism doesn't destroy ethics. People choose to let their morals slide in the name of profit. Capitalism is just an economic system. A concept.



We must be accountable for our actions. We must take responsibility for ourselves and have ownership of our decisions. Blaming capitalism or money for the ills of the world is a cop-out. It is the individual (or organization) which decides how to operate. If we choose to be unethical it is not the fault of an inanimate object or abstract concept. It is our own fault. It isn't the drug's fault that people are addicts. It is the individual's fault for selling or taking them. It isn't alcohol's fault for people being alcoholics. They choose to take the drink. Same with cigarettes. We know the dangers so if we choose to use it, it's our own fault.



For myself, I would not compromise my ethics to make an extra buck. I would not engage in illegal activity. I would not willingly hurt someone else or profit from someone else's suffering. I can look myself in the mirror. Yes I have to earn money to survive in today's society but I do so in a manner that doesn't hurt anyone (in fact my job actually helps people and even though it makes me grind my teeth it's a tough job but someone has to do it %26amp; hey it pays the mortgage.)



Communism in its purest form (everyone equal) sounds beautiful but in practice it's a total mess (everyone is poor except for the few people in power) and has led to great evil %26amp; inhumanity. Humans are imperfect. A utopia is not possible no matter what economic system you employ. There is no escaping the fact that we have freewill and unfortunately there are those who will choose to do evil. They ruin it for the rest of us.



We can resist temptation. Some just choose not to. Know better. Do better. Don't worry about what the rest of the world is doing. What are you doing? If each person thought this way, maybe we would have a utopia.
Reply:Capitalism is deeply problematic, but what alternative do you propose? So far, the application of alternative economic strategies have generated even more misery.
Reply:The vine you speak of, reminds me of a struggle, yes. but it is in my opinion , for a reason. and you or " I " are only as defeated as our courage permits. it is a spiritual struggle to come through the tangled brier un scathed and without scar, yet, to reach the ground desired to stand upon, we must go through with all understanding given by God along the way. It is one thing to speak out against the vine and another to chop your way through.
Reply:I totally agree. Alternative systems like Communism, have only been unsuccsessful because the governments were corrupt. I take Stalin as an example. Communism is a better system than Capitalism if they have better people running it. Capitalism is a jail from which we must escape.