- things become available for ownership either through trade or production — Benkei
Yes, reading your response to Descartes, I think I see where you are going now, something like "for a capitalist, what should capitalism look like morally?". Is that close? — Pseudonym
The son of an oil tycoon might be an absolutely reprehensible monster, but he would still rightly 'own' what used to be his father's capital. — Pseudonym
It's also not that such acquisitions must be approved of by democratic society (as you said, state acquisitions would be avoided, regardless of their democratic approval). — Pseudonym
So, I think this is the first question, what might be the rules capitalism implies about the acquisition of property? — Pseudonym
This starts to look very tenuous after several generations (if not even after only one) — andrewk
Lucy Allais wrote a good piece about the problems of extending deontological ethics into the future and the past. Essentially, the person whose rights are being respected doesn't exist, either way. If we can give rights to non-existent entities, then we can give rights to fictitious entities, theoretical entities... — Pseudonym
I think (or recall?) that the Nozicks of the world would argue that the person who originally produced the wealth has a moral right to it, and thereby to bequeath it to whomsoever they wish. — andrewk
I suspect the capitalist would also like to retain rights to property not so transformed (hunting estates, for example) and would like some means of resolution over conflicts of ownership from a state of nature (tribal land claims, for example). — Pseudonym
Interesting. How does she deal with any duty of care for later generations? They don't have rights so we just screw the planet and let them deal with the fallout? — Benkei
Does capitalism advocate equal opportunities? — René Descartes
you'd have to argue against the protections afforded to corporations. — Benkei
Freedom to what? Freedom is not a thing one can advocate, one had to advocate the freedom to... (something). What is it you think capitalism advocates the freedom to do? — Pseudonym
The social upheaval that produced our norms was fueled by money. — frank
I believe my point is in line with a Marxist view. It's one of the reasons Lenin thought that morality is for "the little people." He, of course, was a BIG person.Capitalism did not create us. — CuddlyHedgehog
I believe my point is in line with a Marxist view — frank
If we replace the 'we all' by 'many of us' - or possibly 'most of us', although that would be more subject to contestation - the point is solid, and highly relevant.But since we all derive our means from a sequence of transfers that probably started with someone blipping someone else on the head and grabbing whatever they could then the basis of our entitlement is not at all clear. — Cuthbert
Get involved in philosophical discussions about knowledge, truth, language, consciousness, science, politics, religion, logic and mathematics, art, history, and lots more. No ads, no clutter, and very little agreement — just fascinating conversations.