Capitalism is Immoral

Well said! I like the ideas and the graphics! Nice work! The reason I accepted this debate is precisely because there is a hidden premise lurking here -- and you have presented it in your arguments in grandiose fashion! I think this should be a great discussion! The hidden premise you have put forward is this: Capitalism itself is inherently immoral -- or, at the very least, is an economic system which automatically leads to the inevitable consequences of 1) destroying the environment and 2) mistreating a working class -- which is simply not true. It is false. The historical narrative is invaluable here for perspective. For example, in his Two Treatises of Government, John Locke (considered to be one of the founding architects of modern Capitalism) outlined "rules" for being capitalistic, specifically "limits to accumulation". Also important was the concept of securing and setting value and how property should be defined. Locke rightly recognized that the human element of greed could transform Capitalism into an economic system which could be abused or misused to extreme excess. A "check and balance" set of ideas was put forward. Locke is very clear that even in a natural state of plenty: 1) There must be enough for others 2) One can use natural resources as long as it isn't stolen or taken from others 3) Natural resources can be used as long as what is taken, is replaced and doesn't spoil [Second Treatise, Sec. 85] Do we follow guidelines like these today? No, absolutely not. There is a strident difference between John Locke's fundamental "rules" for being capitalistic -- producing goods and creating property and wealth -- compared to what is currently practiced in the US and abroad, what we know as Capitalism today. But then the conversation changes very quickly. We can then ask if there are different ways of being economically capitalistic? And indeed there are. Does human greed, consumerism, imperialism, overpopulation, rapid industrialization, and the institutionalization of currency and money-lending effect our brand of Capitalism and how we have chosen to be economic? And the answer is unquestionably and emphatically YES! So the problem isn't Capitalism. Capitalism itself as a system can be broken down to a few basic components that are not automatically immoral when combined. The problem is how we have chosen to be capitalistic or use Capitalism -- combine that with many other factors like gross-excess consumerism and overpopulation, etc., and you get what we have today. Your idealistic "beef" with Capitalism is a good one. But I recon its like saying, "money is evil," when others might say that it depends how money is used. Your putting blame in the wrong place. This has nothing to do with semantics but is very much a categorization mistake -- and I want to make that clear before we go further. Having said that, I'm not sure how useful it is to talk about the eradication of peoples, species or environments only due to Capitalism -- because there are different factors of colonization and imperialistic practices to consider -- and what you have casually done is inadvertently "fuse" these other factors to Capitalism -- or likened them to each other, or basically suggested "this-from-that." Capitalism is not a very good reason to suggest as an explanation as to why some cultures may conquer others. It's way more complicated than that. Dr. Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs and Steel is probably the best working thesis to explain why a culture may conquer another culture. In fact, it has nothing to do with Capitalism. "Only people have responsibilities" -- Milton Friedman Your idea of Capitalism I believe has been stigmatized by the mess the Baby-boomer-generation created -- who are responsible for the "consume-to-excess" brand of capitalistic practices in modern times. "He who dies with the most toys wins" type of consumer attitudes are no longer acceptable and are changing [The Success of Capitalism, documentary]. What if I told you there are capitalists who are also minimalist? Or Communist-capitalist? Or Socialist-capitalist? Hippie-capitalist? The ideas and practice of Capitalism are changing: There are what are known as "B" Corporations (Benefit Corps.). "Benefit corporations differ from traditional corporations in regards to their purpose, accountability and transparency. The purpose of a benefit corporation is to create general public benefit, which is defined as a material positive impact on society and the environment. A benefit corporation's directors operate the business with the same authority as in a traditional corporation, but where in a traditional corporation shareholders with proper standing judge the company's financial performance, here they judge qualitative performance based on the benefit corporation's stated goals to the community and environment" [wiki-benefit corps]. Companies have decided to "go green" because they recognize it's beneficial to the environment and doing so is actually good for business and Capitalism long-term now. Consumers are speaking up and demanding more "green" products and only supporting green companies, boycotting others. "In 2010, the number of American businesses with formal "green" programs in place increased 54 percent over the previous year according to new research from Buck Consultants (a subsidiary of Xerox). Of about 120 businesses surveyed "including hardware and other technology firms, government offices, consultancies, non-profits, hospitals, and the makers of consumer packaged goods" 69 percent said they took deliberate measures to improve their environmental and social impact" [http://techcrunch.com...]. Companies that put these environmental programs and projects in place lead off with these achievements in their quarterly and annual reports! The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) was established in 1970, during the height of American industrialism, precisely because we started to recognize gross-excess use of resources and the effects on the environment, which prior to this we didn't quite understand, say, Co2 emissions, or what acid rain was [http://www.epa.gov...]. History starts to reflect this very soon after: The CCAA (Comprehensive Clean Air Act) passes in 1970. Earth Day started in March of 1970. Clean Water Act passes in 1971. DDT get banned in 1972. Endangered Species Act passes in 1972. The Catalytic Converter in 1973. Unleaded gas is made widely available in 1973. United States banned the use of CFCs such as Freon in aerosol cans in 1978. Production of CFCs was almost completely phased out by 1994. Civilization is now reacting to a new perspective and trying to understand and find it's environmental equilibrium while maintaining it's livelihood. "A business that makes nothing but money is a poor business" -- Henry Ford I think it's also interesting to note that the top philanthropist in the world responsible for the most charitable donations have recently become your American Capitalist tycoons [Forbes.com]: 1) Bill Gates 2) Warren Buffett 3) Mark Zuckerberg 4) Waltons etc. I will address the working class and utilitarianism in the next rounds. References: [1] Second Treatise, Sec. 85, John Locke [2] The Success of Capitalism, a documentary [3] wiki-benefit corps [4] http://techcrunch.com... [5] http://www.epa.gov... [6] Forbes.com