Does American capitalism have any alternatives?

I think capitalism has no alternatives and works well because human nature is greedy and selfish. So socialism or other forms of utopias simply don't work because they are against human nature. Fairness and justice are against human nature. That's why cutthroat capitalism is the only working system.
What do you think?

 

Capitalism is a one preference among many in the field of resource allocation. The important thing to realize here is that there is no right or justified allocation.

Also, capitalism isn't necessarily a means to some other end. Capitalism is not desirable because it "works".

Don't take this as meaning I'm opposed to capitalism. On the contrary, I despise state-industry collusion and the equivocation of corporate welfare with capitalism.

 

I would not call it greedy and selfishness that makes capitalism work it works because of the traits of self preservation, self dependency, individualism, and wanting true freedom

 

Not only are fairness, justice, unselfishness, and generosity facets of human nature just as greed, selfishness, unfairness, and injustice are facets, but the former qualities have triumphed over the latter throughout human history. If they had not, we would never have moved beyond, at most, familial loyalty. Therefore, we would never have been able to form any community that allows cooperation within any group outside our own immediate families, and we'd have only done that much only because of the evolutionary requirement to reproduce.

I don't know where nature ends and nurture begins, but I do know that these 'better' qualities are so vital to the survival of communities that even the most selfish, greedy, and unjust rulers of the most selfish, greedy, and unjust societies give lip service to them and justify the most heinous acts by claiming an altruistic greater good in service to the society as a whole or by doing as you have done: by attempting to claim that there is no better alternative. But it's an untrue claim. We depend on the 'better' qualities and always have. Which is why we think of these qualities as 'better' and 'good' qualities in the first place while those qualities you claim as our sole human heritage are viewed as undesirable.

 

Perhaps you might define a bit more specifically what you mean by "greedy" and "selfish." One man's self interest is another man's selfish.

 

The concept of "capitalism" is a myth.

But we have a lot of nice knock-off versions though.

 

What are you defining as "American Capitalism"?

 

European capitalism? Chinese (state directed) capitalism? There are plenty of viable alternatives. By American capitalism I assume you really mean "laissez faire" capitalism - and I don't think we really have that anywhere. It isn't politically feasible because of the unpleasant short term consequences it often has.

Fairness and justice are hardly against human nature - there are volumes of psychology literature showing that even children have a basic sense of fairness which develops as they age. We all get upset when we feel treated unfairly and are able to understand how others might feel the same way. We all have natural altruistic tendencies (kin altruism being the most obvious).

 

Capitalism is a private venture, someone selling or trading something to others, for a profit.

Seems to me a company can provide products and services but there is no guarantee that there will be a buyer. If there is no guarantee, then how is it possible to talk about greed and self-serving behavior? Company A cannot charge $100 per widget based on greed and selfishness if a consumer won't pay the $100. If consumers will only pay $75, then Company A and competitors must decide if this can work or if they close the doors. Politics and petty jealousy create the idea of corporate greed, but this is nonsense because at the end of every day, the consumers are in control. Example; all the petty jealousy and politics of those who hate Walmart, while 150 million people shop at Walmart every week! Walmart grows and profits not because of greed and selfishness but because 150 million people consume there every week. This is great capitalism!

 

Capitalism is not cut throat unless you are talking about fraud (illegal) or monopoy (also illegal). When a mfg produces a produce the public wants, both are happy. Competition keeps prices in line with actual costs. That is one of the reasons that the medical field is such a mess, little competition and massive government interference.

 

Capitalism is fine. It's Wall Street that gives it a bad name for good reason. That's a rigged game that makes companies teeter to every whim they have to in order to make their stock price go higher. You have to distinguish current Wall Street from the original goal of capitalsim.

 

Something like 99% of US companies, those with employees, are privately held.

Every company fully understands Wall Street pressures prior to going public.

The concept of capitalism is not effected by Wall Street...

 

Many people confuse the free market economy with capitalism. They are not the same thing.

 

The American Capitalism [curious definition, since "Capitalism" is a functional description of a system which has naturally evolved in human societies, it's not a theoretical ideology applied to economy] has go American Capitalism as alternative to itself since it changes.

I would say that we can put a first great milestone in the years of the New Deal, American Capitalism after it was well different from American Capitalism before of it.

An other milestone which will be remembered is the last financial crisis which has changed the direction and the pace of evolution of Capitalism not only in US, but all around the world [China included ...].

 

I think that it's necessary the free market if we want have any alternatives. The problem is that all alternatives pretend delete the free market, I think that this is the worst think. It's possible that we need control the free market, but now I think that now there aren't any alternative that can get better the capitalism.

 

If one person has something another person desires, what are the options for transferring that something from one person to another? Person A can give it free of charge to Person B. Person A can trade for something from Person B. Person A within a monetary system can sell it to Person B. All are private transactions which can be for profit or not, although capitalism prefers profits. What other options can there be to transfer products and services from one person to another?

The only way we can give away everything is if we already have everything we need.
We can trade for something as long as the other person has something we desire and is of similar value.
We can sell stuff for monetary value.

IMO the ONLY problem with our free markets and capitalism is the over-involvement of government and politics...

 

Yes i'm agree with you. The problem is that free market is not the same than capitalism. For example in 15th century the Republic on Venice could trade with practically with all Mediterranean sea. I think that there was free market, but there wasn't capitalism in 15th century.

There are an other political options for example neo-mutualism, in which political theory there are free market, but is not capitalism. For this reason i think that it's interesting create a new political options, but the problem is that all of this options don't propose the free market, i think that it's a pitty. The free market is necessary to have a freedom, but it's not the only condition.

 

Well, capitalism is doomed, it cannot endure. We will be forced into a resource based high tech low labor economic model when capitalism implodes from automation. We will then educate the new humans who are born into this system to be conditioned to a resource based economy and remove profit which means removing the rich from the equation.

 

You need to give some examples of why it is doomed and cannot endure. Just saying you believe that doesn't mean anything.

 

Use your brain. Most unemployment today is due to technology. Do you think technology is just going to stop? What has taken up the slack has been the service sector, and America is around 80 percent service sector today. But guess what is now replacing humans in the service sector? Automation, it's' happening sir. I never go to a bank teller, but use atms. I pay all bills online or by telephone, using automated systems. Many service sectors will automate, which many like fast food can already do, to cut labor costs. It is inevitable. Unless you think corporations will suddenly develop any sort of social responsibility, which is ludicrous. Profit matters, and its all that really matters.

So, we are removing the workers from the economy. Which removes moneyt o buy what the machines make, or serve us. Therefore capitalism is doomed, for we are constantly removing the human element, which means removing the money needed for consumption. This ain't rocket science, but no one, or so few are actually thinking about this. We first thought about it during the 1930s, then got collective amnesia.

 

Yet I am working in automation and have a great job. Generally in the US the paradigm shift has not happened in education which is poorly serving our population. That is why companies want more immigrant workers because they are better educated for the change. You may not realize this but very similar things were said when we went through the industrial revolution. Workers producing buggy whips eventually disappeared.

So I will make the same rhetorical remark, use your brain.

 

Why isn't that a problem for communist and every other possible type of economic system? They will all wind up with automated production and unemployed workers. That's not a particular feature of capitalism.

 

I would think it would be a problem for any economic system in existence today. Which is why humanity will have to move to a resource based economic model, with no monetary system. Technology has finally allowed man to change from the primitive, wasteful economic models with their class structure and there are some top men working on this as we speak. Hopefully we will listen to them after capitalism implodes. And then we can move into something actually resembling civilization that is based upon science and technology. Probably is an evolution of the brain which has not evolved much at all, but we are on the cusp of it. But no way to change the status quo until the status quo implodes. Since that is inevitable, this is the chance to get out of this paradigm we have been in that creates rich and poor and the monumental social problems caused by a rich class and a poor class. Not to mention wasting finite resources which is pure insanity, given we have to live on this planet.

 

I've no idea what sort of system you are talking about that "top men" are working on. It sounds like you mean return to hunter-gather system.

And it has nothing to do with capitalism. It has to do with industrial civilization.

 

Your job in regards to automation will be eventually replaced. That is inevitable unless you are in a particular field that might always need a human. But those jobs are shrinking, and you know that.

I am indeed using my brain, while apparently you are stuck in a box, conditioned by your own time. Time moves, things change, and the trend is to replace every bit of the human element as possible, for profit and efficiency. We will only get more advanced, not less, and that means even you could be unemployed.

I would imagine we will get to a point where 3 per cent of the work force could run the machines, maintain them. You think we will need airplane pilots in the future? Again, use you brain. Doctors? Fast food workers, clerks? All that is going the way of the do do bird. But this will make capitalism implode and even the village idiot can see that. Perhaps he can see it easier than the educated man. His box may be larger than the educated.