Capitalism is responsible for the detrimental effects to human life

AnalysisIn round 2, my opponent presents a sad, feeble case to attack Capitalism. Using links that don't work, he cites the prestigious Wikipedia and CNN schools of economic thought. The first two text blocks quote the general idea of Karl Marx's Das Kapital. My previous observation that, "The use of "the" in the resolution indicates that 'all of the detrimental effects' are attributable to Capitalism," went unaddressed by Pro, so we are still left with the natural assumption that he has to prove that Capitalism is responsible for all of the detrimental effects to human life: war, famine, disease, poverty, social unrest, natural disasters, and mental disorders. So far, he has named two supposed detrimental effects of Capitalism, which we will examine in more detail in the following paragraphs. Two flawed detrimental effects is not meeting his burden of proof.RE: Biased definitionMy opponent brings back the much missed abusive definitions when he describes Capitalism as, "the predominance of private ownership of the means of production and exploitation of wage labour, distribution and exchange in a mainly market economy (commodity production), and capital accumulation (production for profit)." This stems from Marx's Das Kapital, a book designed to demonstrate supposed flaws in the Capitalist model and pursuade people to the Socialist and Communist ideology. Despite a Tsarist ban on that type of literature, they considered the book to be a scientific work of Poltical Economy i.e. Economics. Exploitation means "The action or fact of treating someone unfairly in order to benefit from their work," so for the concept of wage labour exploitation to be true, my opponent must not just state it, but substantiate the claim with evidence. I address this in the next rebuttal.RE: ExploitationMy opponent lays out the following syllogism, "They do not have means of production. They can not live a day without receiving a wage offred by the employer. Therefore, they are controlled and exploited by capitalists as freely as they would." This is a faulty syllogism for several reasons. let's look at it sentence by sentence. 1) "They do not have the means of production." This is false and also not as relevant in the labor market today. Given free market Capitalism, there are no statist barriers to entry in the market. This means that self-employment and small business ownership are more common, as competition keeps firms smaller and more adaptable than under American corporatism, for example. A person need not own 'means of production' to generate income, or even to become wealthy; human capital, the sum total of your skills, talents, and abilities, is important in free market Capitalism because it is rewarded, as it gives something of value to people. The rise of the internet also improves the efficiency and availability of self-employment, self-improvement, and markets in general. People on YouTube, blogs, and website building sites are largely self-employed and generate income through their own talents without a boss. Furthermore, if someone saves money, he will have the resources in the future to buy capital goods, become more physically productive, and have his own means of production, while generating income. Summary: A worker does not need to own means of production to generate income. Savings enables the future purchase of means of production.2) "The can not live a day without receiving a wage offered by the employer." This is false. Under free market Capitalism, savings accounts are larger, as the government doesn't forcibly steal around 50% of the money you earn. This enables more to be saved, as well as more to be spent on goods that have a societal value (unlike various military wewapons programs). Under free market Capitalism, an average worker saves much more, which allows them to be prepared for rainy days such as unemployment, natural disasters, and medical operations. So, an employee may have enough savings for 3-6 months for such events. This is also ameliorated by the great availability of labor on the free market. If you lose your job that pays $20 an hour, you can pick up a job paying $5-$10 an hour, while looking for another job that pays a salary like your previous job. This eases the transition between jobs. Furthermore, many people are self-employed as I stated before, with 1 in 9 US workers being self-employed; this number is logically bound to increase under free market Capitalism. Needless to say, unemployment is low under Capitalism.Summary: Capitalism encourages savings and personal responsibility, which prepares people for rainy days such as unemployment. The availability of jobs, self-employment opportunities, and part-time work eases the transition between high-salary, full-time jobs.3) "Therefore, they are controlled and exploited by capitalists as freely as they would." False, this is the begging the question fallacy because the two premises it relies on have been proven false. Capitalism is peaceful trading and contracting between people and groups. This does not seek to control people or rule their lives, it is simply a system of properly organizing what a society values and providing it via spontaneous order and a price system. Capitalism is the freest economic system; you are free to produce, distribute, contribute, advise, teach, etc without the burdens of taxes, government intervention, or price and wage controls. If you don't like the place you are working, you are free to leave to work somewhere else or to become self-employed, or to live off your savings. It is true freedom; there are obligations though. Summary: This conclusion is based on two flawed premises, which begs the question. Capitalism enables true economic freedom and personal responsibility. Firms compete in a labor market, so naturally those who offer the most will attract better workers; this acts as a check on unfair pay and treatment.RE: UnemploymentMy opponent states that when firms are faced with serious recessions, they end up firing workers. While this is generally true, it is a) usually due to government intervention, and b) the recession is the natural restructuring of the economy. a) When government intervenes in the economy with the use of programs, moentary policy, and fiscal policy, the market becomes distorted and as a result, malinvestments occur. b) Creative destruction and temporary unemployment are the methods that help an economy return to economic health by shedding unsustainable investment trajectories, malinvestments, and disproportionate labor distribution. This is why Capitalist economies recover more quickly from recessions, while Socialist and Mixed-Economies perpetuate fundamental economic problems longer.He then states unemployment in the Eurozone; however, the Eurozone is one of the least Capitalist regions in the world. So...Sources[1] Henry Hazlitt, Economics in One Lesson [2] Peter D. Schiff, The Real Crash [3] Ron Paul, End the Fed