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
Hi there.

Capitalism in its pure form preaches the destruction of everything in order to make money - a fully capitalist fisherman will fish the sea until nothing is left and then move on. So you are right, capitalism unalloyed is a danger to us all - we need other mechanisms to control it. Competition is not necessarily bad, but unrestricted competition is - so we need government structures to prvent capitalist technique destroying us all.

So, you are right - it will crush us if it can.

Cheers, Steve.
Reply:Why would you believe someone who has no economic training? That is not what capitalism is about. Capitalism preaches the following of incentives. Whatever there is the most incentive to do is the path that will be taken. Read about the Coase theorem. Report It
Reply:No one in this thread is an economics of philosophy student and therefore their opinion is worthless. Every system of economics promotes different types of welfare and has its vices and problems. So far no one has invented something better then capitalism otherwise by the laws of economics people would have switched over to it already.
Reply:I would suggest that before you try to destroy capitalism, create something better that would be acceptable to both the currently rich and the currently poor.



However, to directly reply to your question, I would suggest that personal gain is an aspect of human nature. Ever since detailed records existed with the aincient egyptians, there has ben a social structure - a natural order of things. And the only thing to do with a social pyramid is try to climb it - otherwise we are simply sitting back and accepting mediocrity.

Nowadays, in our more balanced society, the only two ways to climb this pyramid are:

1) Money - the rich have better lives than the poor and more influence on what happens to those 'below' them.

2) Old fashioned power - restricted to those that wish to delve in politics (which pays well anyway) and those that have lots of money!



It is human nature to want to climb to the top and that desire fuels capitalism - not the other way round.





I would also like to add to that now, having thought. The question between doing something right and doing something for personal gain has only been introduced because of society. The concept of 'right and wrong' is entirely artificial, based on a moral code that has been taught to us since our youth. The idea of doing well for yourself is an instinct, based on the days where if you weren't selfish, you'd starve.