eighthbell / eighthbell is on Nostr

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2026-10-05 17:39:01 UTC

- reply

One more thing because I probably won't be able to reply tomorrow, sorry for the double message. My main issue is that for all of its issues, "Capitalism" is fundamentally just the free exchange of goods and services. Do you believe that putting limits on this free exchange (which necessitates the existence of a large state that can impose its whims on the economy and affairs of private individuals, for how else would the limits be enforced) would be more beneficial? We see the effects of corporatism today in the modern US, and it isn't great as it just turns into politicians and corporations teaming up to fuck everyone over. As far as communism goes, I've never seen it successfully explained how or why the state would "wither away" once it has placed the means of production into the hands of the workers and redistributed all wealth equally. Why would the rulers give away their power for no gain to themselves? It is at conflict with human nature to give up your own material gains free of cost.
This is evidenced by the historical record; the state does not go anywhere and the end result is a totalitarian dictatorship where, perversely, a stronger, outright oligarchic hierarchy is created in spite of the underlying wish to abolish hierarchy. This being between the government bureaucrats and everyone else (the citizenry), the latter essentially becoming a permanent underclass.
It's not so much that I am pro-hierarchy (certainly I do not believe anyone should simply bow their head to an "expert" without entertaining critical thought or reason), but moreso that hierarchies to a degree are natural; the issue with hierarchies is when they are artificial ones, where less competent individuals are entrusted with power that they have not earned on the basis of wealth or cronyism. For instance, if you were sick would you trust a homeless bum on the side of the road with your medical care or would you go to a doctor? This is an example of a natural hierarchy, since the doctor earned his knowledge and expertise through hard work and study, you naturally see him as having superior knowledge to the bum in this area. Is capitalism free of the artificial hierarchy? Absolutely not, but I think that free market capitalism with state intervention greatly limited so as to prevent lobbying and the like is the best solution we have to the problem.
I would like to note that I am open to having my mind changed, as I have not yet read as much political theory as I wish to in the future especially from ideological camps that oppose mine, which I sincerely do need to rectify.

2026-10-03 23:51:07 UTC

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2026-07-18 01:36:32 UTC

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2026-07-04 04:37:01 UTC

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2026-06-28 06:58:36 UTC

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