The Good Things about Capitalism
Getting angry with the capitalist system is a pastime among academics, especially tenured radicals and leftist groupies that have built a career out of indignation; but we often forget why we are angry, or misplace it. I want to suggest that it is not capitalism that is the foe, but injustice, and the two have no innate relationship.
The early industrial capitalism of the eighteenth century brought with upheavals and horrors that rightly gave way to protest from many different quarters, and continue to do so. So even back in the day, it was industrial capitalism that we the evil. It was not, that is, even capitalism itself that was the true object of our abhorrence. We were not, for example, against the ownership of property or the selling of it to accumulate capital. Even when we consider other social evils, like the exploitation of children and women, destruction of the environment, and the abuse of animals, the culprit is not obviously capitalism; but rather our values. The environment is not a victim of capitalism, but our lifestyles that we so cherish.
Now, some would say, however, that it is the capitalist system that has created needs, making us what the things we do—video games, certain types of food, the ornamentation with which we decorate ourselves, as well as education itself. Yet surely we also have some role in the lifestyles we live, even as a social group. The choices we make can, in fact, shape the direction of the market. The animal rights movement is a perfect example. The market has changed to cater to consumers that have demanded products that are “cruelty free”; this was not foisted upon us from atop, but came from a groundswell from below. So what I am suggesting is that capitalism is only a vehicle, and at best one that amplify our own values and behaviors.
The title of this post will annoy some people right of the bat, or at least make the search their minds for what is to come, with a seething skepticism. For that group I say this: good, this post is for you. A word is in order about the annoyance felt by this group, too, because it relates to another virtue of capitalism: freedom. In liberal society we purport to value diversity of people, of lifestyles, and of ideas.
Psychologically, however, it is quite unnatural to have a favourable opinion of someone that is different than us. In fact, it takes a good deal of training to be objective to any extent at all. The reason is simple: we like what we know; and we dislike what we do not because we are apt to think it poses a potential threat to our well-being. It is quite natural, also, to try to fit in with the organization we are part of. We try to be like those around us. And those that are not like us are misfits that are either deranged to varying degrees, victims of circumstance, or ahead of the social curve.
The problem comes like this, then: on the one hand, we want to belong to the group, adhere to its values, patterns of behavior, and so forth; on the other hand, we extol the liberal virtue of tolerance for difference. But how much do we really respect difference in practice? Yes, we often make tall proclamations about diversity, but when was the last time a hiring committee, for example, sought out a candidate that was ideologically opposed to their research ideology. It rarely happens: they seek someone that “fits in”. And there may be good reason for seeking the like-minded; it may make the organization more efficient in reaching its goals, the environment more amicable, and the people within it consequently happier and more secure.
On the flip side, there is a reason we, as a society, have come to embrace liberalism, and I will not re-tell the story here. But in short, change is the one rule of human history, and we need to use our awareness for the reason we likely have it in the first place: to deal with the anomalies that arise with change. Adapting to change is the one thing that agents in the market are very good at doing, that is, if they are to stay in business.
For a philosopher, the unpopular task is left to consider things not just from afar, in the halls of power, but up close and personal. And up close and personal requires fitting in with the society in which we live—and in liberal society, paradoxically, that requires some amount of tolerance for deviance.
Like the changing shape of the market itself, we have to cater to the market and we have to help shape one. As one can infer from the title of this piece, capitalism also has a down side. But this has already been addressed in principle; as is well-known, we live in a mixed-economy, where the excesses of capitalism are regulated by the state. World-making is a business, a brutal one at that.
The early industrial capitalism of the eighteenth century brought with upheavals and horrors that rightly gave way to protest from many different quarters, and continue to do so. So even back in the day, it was industrial capitalism that we the evil. It was not, that is, even capitalism itself that was the true object of our abhorrence. We were not, for example, against the ownership of property or the selling of it to accumulate capital. Even when we consider other social evils, like the exploitation of children and women, destruction of the environment, and the abuse of animals, the culprit is not obviously capitalism; but rather our values. The environment is not a victim of capitalism, but our lifestyles that we so cherish.
Now, some would say, however, that it is the capitalist system that has created needs, making us what the things we do—video games, certain types of food, the ornamentation with which we decorate ourselves, as well as education itself. Yet surely we also have some role in the lifestyles we live, even as a social group. The choices we make can, in fact, shape the direction of the market. The animal rights movement is a perfect example. The market has changed to cater to consumers that have demanded products that are “cruelty free”; this was not foisted upon us from atop, but came from a groundswell from below. So what I am suggesting is that capitalism is only a vehicle, and at best one that amplify our own values and behaviors.
The title of this post will annoy some people right of the bat, or at least make the search their minds for what is to come, with a seething skepticism. For that group I say this: good, this post is for you. A word is in order about the annoyance felt by this group, too, because it relates to another virtue of capitalism: freedom. In liberal society we purport to value diversity of people, of lifestyles, and of ideas.
Psychologically, however, it is quite unnatural to have a favourable opinion of someone that is different than us. In fact, it takes a good deal of training to be objective to any extent at all. The reason is simple: we like what we know; and we dislike what we do not because we are apt to think it poses a potential threat to our well-being. It is quite natural, also, to try to fit in with the organization we are part of. We try to be like those around us. And those that are not like us are misfits that are either deranged to varying degrees, victims of circumstance, or ahead of the social curve.
The problem comes like this, then: on the one hand, we want to belong to the group, adhere to its values, patterns of behavior, and so forth; on the other hand, we extol the liberal virtue of tolerance for difference. But how much do we really respect difference in practice? Yes, we often make tall proclamations about diversity, but when was the last time a hiring committee, for example, sought out a candidate that was ideologically opposed to their research ideology. It rarely happens: they seek someone that “fits in”. And there may be good reason for seeking the like-minded; it may make the organization more efficient in reaching its goals, the environment more amicable, and the people within it consequently happier and more secure.
On the flip side, there is a reason we, as a society, have come to embrace liberalism, and I will not re-tell the story here. But in short, change is the one rule of human history, and we need to use our awareness for the reason we likely have it in the first place: to deal with the anomalies that arise with change. Adapting to change is the one thing that agents in the market are very good at doing, that is, if they are to stay in business.
For a philosopher, the unpopular task is left to consider things not just from afar, in the halls of power, but up close and personal. And up close and personal requires fitting in with the society in which we live—and in liberal society, paradoxically, that requires some amount of tolerance for deviance.
Like the changing shape of the market itself, we have to cater to the market and we have to help shape one. As one can infer from the title of this piece, capitalism also has a down side. But this has already been addressed in principle; as is well-known, we live in a mixed-economy, where the excesses of capitalism are regulated by the state. World-making is a business, a brutal one at that.
Labels: Capitlaism, freedom
posted by Anoop Gupta at 15:21
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