tl;dr - check out this podcast.
I've read and heard many arguments for socialism. But fundamentally, socialism is based on the idea that we can work together for the betterment of everyone.
Socialism is like ethical veganism*: everyone will do the right thing because it is the right thing to do.
I don't know how anyone can believe that.
The richest country that has ever existed knowingly put into power the most overtly corrupt, selfish, self-centered, avaricious individual to ever seek office. Not to mention the most anti-democratic (link, and also the pictures below the footnotes).
This is not a post bemoaning how terrible human beings are.
Rather, this is a question of both:
- How has humanity (as a whole), in the past few hundred years (only 0.1% of human history), gotten unbelievably rich and long-lived?
- How can humanity - especially the poorest individuals - get even wealthier and healthier?**
The answer to both questions cannot depend on anyone doing the right thing for the right reason. The answer has to take into account human nature - we are all at least somewhat self-interested, envious, and tribal.
The way we've become better off has been: trade, markets, and capitalism.
In this age of lies*** and memes, let's be clear what I'm not saying.
I'm not saying:
- Libertarianism
- Crony capitalism / oligarchy
- No government / limited government / no government
- No taxes / low taxes / not-progressive taxes
- No regulation / limited regulation
- No social safety net
- The U.S. is perfect / Europe (or Scandinavia) is terrible
- Money is the meaning of life$$
Just because some assholes say "Markets!" "Capitalism!" doesn't mean <waves hands> socialism.
And just because angry people have clever memes on social media doesn't mean the past was better or that we would all be better off if we were hunter-gatherers.****
This is just a long way of saying that this podcast (by two well-off white males!) is worthwhile for anyone who wants to understand human nature, history, how things got better (for humans), and how things can get better (for humans ... and hopefully animals?).
$$ The podcast ends with a discussion of the need for meaning in life, making clear that markets and capitalism don't inherently make us happy. But we've gone from:
A) Having most of our children die while we worried about getting enough food to stay alive, to
B) Having too much tasty food while worrying about the "point of existence."
One of those situations is clearly better than the other.
Or, as Mike concludes:
Now, sometimes I will have a Duke student tell me, 'Well, now money isn't everything.' I'll ask them, 'Well, how big is your trust fund?' Because almost everyone who tells me that money isn't everything was never poor. If you're poor, money is quite a bit. So, not having to worry about where am I going to live? Am I going to be able to take care of the basic needs of my family? Those things are pretty important.
On the other hand, it is true that Adam Smith wrote two books and all of his point about being embedded in a society--now it's a commercial society, but it is a society. So, we can't substitute commerce for society. These things have to go together. And, if we can find a way to bring back the society part of commercial society, I think capitalism is likely to be more sustainable. As it stands you are right. We have some thinking to do.
Pictures of why we can't have nice things are below the footnotes. Only scroll down if you really think we can all just get along.
*And like "Go Vegan!", "socialism" can never be disproved. Everyone thinks that they have cracked the code of getting people to go vegan /not be greedy/tribal. Everyone is wrong.
**Whether humanity should get richer does not have a clear-cut answer, as I discuss in Losing (shorter version).
***On Joe Rogan, Bernie Sanders claimed that Vanguard, Black Rock, and State Street "own" the vast majority of the stock market. This is so utterly and totally untrue, I hardly even know where to start. Please stop lying - it destroys your credibility with people who might otherwise be sympathetic.
****For those who really hate our modern society, nothing is stopping you from moving elsewhere and living as a hunter-gatherer.
Why I am not willing to count on the goodwill of my fellow humans:
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