Just a quick note...Capitalism isn't to blame for "commercialism" -
the only reason that we have such a "shiny, smiley, stupid, obnoxious,
isolating, soulless, obsessive culture." is because there are people
who support such a culture. (If nobody bought it - it wouldn't sell
(have no value) and therefore cease to exist)
Shalom
David Lind
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
David L Thomas wrote:
> MDers
>
> The underlying theme of all this month's threads seem to stem from
Daniel's "Life Ain't Nothing but
> Money and Bitches" post which claimed that " Capitalism (in America) [I
would add everywhere]
> produces a shiny, smiley, stupid, obnoxious, isolating, soulless,
obsessive culture." [and
> that]...... people are so fed up with ..this waste.... of capitalism that
they're ready to destroy
> capitalism ...."
>
> After the predictable, "Right on!, high five , money is the root of all
evil" and "Oh, you
> misguided fools " responses, Horse asked that we:
>
> DEFINE YOUR PROBLEM AND STATE ITS CONTEXT.
>
> If we start with the context of Locke's Tragedy of the Commons, I think
things subtly changed after
> man walked on the moon and returned to earth. Locke's argument basically
concerned humans, living
> elsewhere, grazing animals in the commons. But as the empirically reality
of man's view of earth from
> the moon sank in the concept of there being an "elsewhere" , here on
Earth, disappeared. We all
> live in the commons where the lambs have no choice but to lay down with the
lions, zebras, pigs,
> chickens, goats, ticks, trees, streams, mountains .........and man.
>
> Capitalism divides economies into three basic patterns of value; capital,
labor, and resources.
> "Capital" is the surplus, or wealth (money and/or other property) which
results from the
> application of labor to available resources. Capital was first probably
stored food; berries, nuts
> or grains , then meat, hides, teeth, bones, sinew, silver, gold, and on and
on until stocks, bonds,
> an other dynamic derivatives. The goal of capitalism is to use this wealth
(capital), in what ever
> form, to create more wealth, or surpluses, some of which can then be used
to improve the quality of
> mans life both now, and hopefully to assure that level in the foreseeable
future.
>
> Within the context of there being no "elsewhere" the basic problem with
capitalism is that it fails
> to adequately value the fact that resources here on Earth, though vast, are
finite. And all of the
> most essential resources (air, water, soil, etc.) are the result of 3.85
billion years of evolving
> patterns of value which no amount of capital can recreate or replace. But
before we trash
> capitalism, it is worthwhile to note that Winston Churchill observed that
democracy would be
> absolutely the worst form of government, were it not for all the rest.
In economics, capitalism
> hold a similar position.
>
> So we find that capitalism, the best economic system currently in use, if
adopted and practiced
> world wide using the models currently in place in the developed nations, is
not a viable,
> sustainable, long term economic solution. And both intuitively and
empirically all of us who
> actively participate in the currently dominant capitalist systems know
this. Is it any wonder that
> the level of angst high?
>
> The reason for this is we have no economic philosophy in place with which
to deal effectively with
> these issues and further have no basis of reality (metaphysics) on which
to build that philosophy.
> Until now. So when Daniel ends his post with the questions:
>
> > Is there anyway of getting a free-market without having to live in a
consumer culture?
> > Is this spiritual hollowness just the price we have to pay for being
adequately fed, clothed, and housed?
>
> The answers respectively are Yes and No, if we have the will to do it.
>
> Upon the foundation of the MoQ an economic system can be built which more
accurately reflects the
> "bottom up" morality of our reality. The spiritual foundation for this
outlook is ancient and
> intellectual theory in various forms has been around for at least several
hundred years. In it's
> most recent manifestation it is called " Natural Capitalism" as explained
in the book by the same
> title by Paul Hawkens , Hunter & Amory Lovins. A few excerpts to whet your
interest.
>
> "Natural capitalism recognizes that critical interdependency between the
production and use of human
> made capital and the maintenance and supply of natural capital. The
traditional definition of
> capital is accumulated wealth in the form of investments, factories, and
equipment. Actually, an
> economy needs four types of capital to function properly:
>
> � human capital, in the form of labor and intelligence, culture, and
organization.
> � financial capital, consisting of cash, investments, and monetary
instruments.
> � manufactured capital, including infrastructure, machines, tools, and
factories.
> � natural capital, made up of resources, living systems, and ecosystem
services.
>
> " Capitalism, as practiced, is a financially profitable, non sustainable
aberration of human
> development. What might be called "industrial capitalism" does not fully
conform to its own
> accounting principles. It liquidates its capital and calls it income. It
neglects to assign any
> value to the largest stocks of capital it employs - the natural resources
and living systems,- as
> well as social and cultural systems that are the basis of human capital."
pp 4-5, Natural Capitalism.
>
> In the section titled "Environment as source of Quality" on p 148 we find:
>
> " Science provides a necessary basis for business to comprehend the
emerging economies of living
> systems and ecosystem services. In scientific terms, there is no phenomenon
called production, only
> transformation. No matter how energy of resources are used, scattered or
dispersed, their sum
> remains essentially the same, as dictated by the Law of Conservation of
Matter and Energy. This law
> is of more that passing interest because it means that the term
'consumption' is the abstract
> figment of economists' imagination- that it is physically impossible in all
processes or
> transformations. What is consumed from the environment is not matter or
energy but order or
> QUALITY. .........This is a critically important concept, because it is
'QUALITY' that business
> draws upon to create economic value." (my emphasis)
>
> We would add
>
> �Quality [is] value. They [are] the same thing� Lila-pp 58 �
>
> and this is so because:
>
> �Quality is the primary empirical reality of the world� Lila-pp 67
>
> Will this shift from capitalism to natural capitalism happen? It already is
and it will continue at
> an ever accelerating pace. The question is are you ready for quality?
>
> dlt.
>
> PS. About caring. IMHO, a tiny increase in our "caring" about the status of
our "natural capital"
> will do more than all the "I feel your pain" relief efforts to actually
relieve planetary suffering.
>
> Check natural capitalism out on www.naturalcapitalism.org
>
>
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