: To such is levelled the popular bromide "The rich get richer and the poor get poorer." But there is no statistical evidence of this except for various realtive charts comparing rich to poor without reference to any constants - its al relativism.But relative poverty is still as socially divisive as absolute poverty:
1:It means inequality of justice (one law for teh poor, as many laws as money can buy for teh rich 'Some more law sir?' 'No, no thank you, I've got enough right now...'
2:It means inequality of power, them with the most control over societies resources, have the most absolute power.
3:it means inequality of education, health and life enjoyement.
:This is still too many dead babies, in my opinion, but the difference isn't increasing. The rich are getting richer but the poor aren't becoming worse off. So is the issue "too many dead babies compared to the west"? Thats relativism.
Or egalitarianism.
:The poor are getting richer. We are all living longer. So is the issue that "people in poor countries die too soon compared to the west"? More relativism.
Correct.
: So really the goal should be making everyone richer, not stopping westerners - these gaps are relative, they dont cost other people, there is no need for re-distribution, but for creation. Unless ofcourse the goal isnt wealth creation, but equalisation - no matter what the cost.
No, teh goal is wealth creation,a nd eqalisation to the accessable wealth. Capitalism cannot infinitely expand growth- the law of no profit no production limits productive gowth to effective wealth (we can't produce more than people can buy). This is the cause of crises. eventually, for other rasons, capitalism stagnates,and prevents economic growth. It doesn't collapse, it just stops growth. We need more wealth to feed and clothe everyone,. but capitalism cannot deliver it
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:Your wealth is good. So why isn't everybody else's wealth good, too?
Exactly, I want everyone to be wealthy 'everyone should live in their own cathedral', what I am against is greed, or people feeling they must have more wealth than their fellows.
: Money is just a tool, tools can be used for harm and used for good. When a carpenter has a lot of tools we don't say to him, "You have too many tools. You should give some of your saws and planes and nails and chisels to the man who's cooking omelettes." We don't try to close the "tool gap."
But we are, we want to make sure that other countries have the means to produce their own wealth, instead of relying on our produce.
: Redistribution is not an effective answer to poverty, wealth creation is much better. Is that something agreeable?
But if you make the cake bigger, you only increase the size of the portions, not the relative distribution of the cake- them as have no cake, still have no cake. And them as had big portions before, have even bigger portions. i want more wealth, and I want everyone to share it.
