depends - is it greed to want to keep what you earn, or to control what others earn?
Capitalism is the most deeply moral economic system that ever existed. It pulled literally hundreds of millions out of poverty. It creates the only mechanism to rationally allocate the earth’s resources. It is better at protecting the environment than statism. The state and state control of the economy may be OK in theory but in practice it is deeply corrupt and evil.
Socialism like to pretend greed only exist in capitalism. The most greediest people are Socialists
I have not lived under capitalism. With the FED contorting money, the unelected make laws and control business Capitalism had freely functioned in the USA.
Are Communism, Socialism, Islamic States... Moral? They have killed more people than all other sources of death combined.
That means millions of individual competing interests which means freedom and individual liberty , competition, accountability to customers, efficiency and increasing technology. capitalism is home ownership, small businesses, entrepreneurs.
The more government regulations and the more government takes over an industry the less efficient and more corrupt it is. Industries where there is more government involvement or regulations as in the government schools, VA, Obama care etc. are less efficient than those where government is less involves as in the software,Internet industries, or electronics industry which have less government involvement. Government schools ,VA, vs Amazon , dollar tree , Toyota, Samsung, APPle, Google
Socialism is the opposite . socialism doesn't work, results in tyranny inefficiency, poverty for all, bread lines, oppression and misery for all .See what's happening in Venezuela.
socialism doesn't work because it is a government monopoly.
In socialism government owns everything (single payer healthcare) so there is government monopoly. That means tyranny, oppression, government unaccountability , government oppression, poverty for all,
socialism = government monopoly = tyranny and a dictator as in Chavez, Castro , Stalin, Pol pot,
If Capitalism is not moral, then how is Socialism moral for being GREEDY and wanting what others earn? Isn’t that stealing? Is stealing moral?
People are moral, Capitalism is neutral. It is as moral as the people utilizing the Capital.
Therein lies the immorality of every economic system other than capitalism. All other systems involve forceful confiscation of thy neighbor's property. In capitalism, if you want something that belongs to someone else, you must produce something of value to exchange for it.
Yes Capitalism is subject to cronyism, corruption, and manipulation; I’d like to know what system is better and not subject to the same weaknesses, we the people can have at least some control by instituting personal responsibility through caveat emptor.
The same is true of our Republic it has the same weaknesses but there is no better system, we the people need to be responsible for it, we the people have failed to protect, promote and defend our Constitutional Free Republic and its accompanying Capitalism.
Capitalism is moral because it exemplifies freedom. It is the people en masse defining the market, not the government. You still need regulation to protect from market manipulation and fraud.
There are two fundamental components of the economy: production and distribution. In capitalism, the private sector controls both. In communism, the government controls both. In socialism, the government controls distribution.
I say both socialism and communism are indeed evil - a higher bar to jump than “immoral”. As such, since I’m catholic (though not actually practicing) I’ll argue this from that point of view - my disclosure.
As a quick aside, if you like the idea of “separation of church and state”, realize that capitalism is the separation of the economy and state.
Socialist governments have inordinate power because of their control in the economy. Those who desire power can easily talk people using the government to “help the poor”, especially if you are the poor one.
But it doesn’t take a government to hand someone a sandwich. Charity has always existed for this purpose, which is the focus of my argument. There were even quite a few charitable hospitals around the US before the depression.
Helping the poor has always been a part of catholicism. If you want to sum up catholicism (or Christianity) in a single line (in my opinion) turn to 2 Corinthians 13:14, the conclusion of a letter from Paul:
“The grace of the lord jesus Christ and the love of god and the fellowship of the holy spirit be with all of you.”
These three things in Catholicism are all god - the holy trinity. If you don’t like that, you can consolidate things further by simply stating that god is love.
So what does this have to do with the evil of socialism? Well, the only person in the bible that had routine, conversational level, experience with god was Moses. Everyone else is left with their non-somatic senses, i.e., you can’t see, hear, smell, touch, or taste god, but you can experience god with “feeling” from the inside. An emotional or spiritual reaction.
Now, I don’t care how many checks you’ve written to charity. Have you ever actually helped a stranger by “donating” your own time and assistance? If you have, even if you weren’t thinking “charity”, you may find you have an unusual experience.
When you give assistance to someone who truly needs it, and visibly reacts to that with appreciation, it can actually bring tears to your eyes. The emotion you have at this moment is not one of sadness, but one of love. Thanks to your act, you are now experiencing the love of God. This is why you are being slightly overwhelmed. Unlike Moses, you cannot gaze upon the face of God. You can only feel the presence.
By doing these things you are being brought closer to god and your own salvation. There is NO such reaction, to writing a check, or, even more detached, having the government use your employer to withhold income from you.
Satan is known as “the great deceiver”. Satan wants to keep you from salvation.
With socialism and communism, we have adherents proselytizing that you are helping the poor under “their” system. They are attempting to convince you that this is charity.
This is a deception. Charity is not just writing the check, it is the act that allows you to experience god. By having the government “perform” charity in your name, you may be deceived into thinking that by supporting this government process, you are somehow charitable and hence a good person (one who will obtain salvation). This may detract from your desire to perform acts of direct (actual) charity.
This is what I call, the evil of socialism and communism. With purposeful deception, you are denied the love of god and salvation through your own acts, because you think it’s already being done for you, like maid service.
How moral is that?
Capitalism is the worst system.
(except for all the others)
Capitalism is a term Marx coined because the words “free market” makes sense to people on an instinctual level. I will stick to calling it the free market as I refuse to let socialists of any stripe control the language. That being said we are very far from a Free Market economy in the US.
“By the sweat of thy brow shalt thou eat thy bread.” Genisis 3:19
“Then people go out to their work, to labor unto evening.” Psalms 104:23
Labor is our duty, which idleness shirks. The rewards of labor are profits, which, being the fruits of righteousness, are the owner’s to dispose of at his will. Christ commissioned us to be compassionate and generous; He Himself was penniless. But He did not demand it of us. He simply spoke of the joys of selfless giving.
Thus, I am inclined to believe that a voluntary capitalism is far more moral than coerced collectivism. The latter is no more than theft.
Monarchy can be good or bad.
Communism is always bad.
Socialism is just the first step on the way to Communism.
“The goal of socialism is communism.”
~Vladimir Lenin