From: Mark Steven Heyman (markheyman@infoproconsulting.com)
Date: Fri Dec 10 2004 - 15:22:13 GMT
Hi Sam and all,
Sam, as you say, the first snippet of your last Understanding Quality
post applies as well to the Quality of Capitalism thread. So I'll
respond to it here.
On 9 Dec 2004 at 22:32, Sam Norton wrote:
Perhaps the closest I can come to a "core" political/economic belief,
is this: the concentration of power tends to foster low Quality.
<small snip> I think it cuts across the left/right arguments, and it
specifies (for me) what I find objectionable in various arrangements
(political or economic).
msh says:
I agree completely. And would add that, in such political or
economic arrangements, Quality is diminished to the point of
obscenity when concentrated power uses wealth or violence in
maintaining or expanding its control.
sam:
So what I'll be arguing in the capitalism thread (with Platt) is that
>something like< a western system is of higher intrinsic quality
than >something like< a state socialism model - because there is a
greater diffusion of power.
msh says:
Well, I guess you can approach it like this but, if you do, you won't
get any argument, at least not from me. And you and Platt will be
whirling in circles of ecstatic agreement.
My position is that existing "free-market" solutions, are neither
free nor solutions, and, in fact, serve to concentrate not dilute
power. That is, I'm interested in exposing the inherent quality
weaknesses in the so-called free market model because I want to push
beyond them, not replace them with similar weaknesses from other
power-planned models. I want to break down the entrenched idea that
the "free-market" model, favored by the elites who benefit from it,
is the highest quality way of organizing an economy for the equal
benefit of all.
I posted the Chomsky exchange because I think it demonstrates the
common arguments in favor of "free-market" systems. If someone
thinks those are bad arguments, or straw men, I encourage them to
offer better evidence, analysis, and argument in support of the same
conclusion.
Thanks to all,
Mark Steven Heyman (msh)
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