I've just picked up on the rather heated debate and would like to throw a few points into the pit............ Firstly, to look at the amount of resources that are consumed by such a few (yes, a point made many times) and the environmental damage caused by this and then to say that the capitalist system can pull us all through this century and far into the next millenium is a huge, huge call. This is not to say that communism could do this either as we will all know from the various environmental disasters that have occured in Russia.
This says that the problem goes deeper than simply the economic system we talk about (no kidding!) and involves the relationship between the economic, the social and the political systems that all work to drive and influence each other.
A major point in this problem is that any talk of a system must be of the whole and not individual parts alone and therefore we need to establish where we think society and in fact the whole world should be heading before we can talk about capitalism versus socialism alone, let alone ourselves. Sure you can argue about how you want to live but this forum is about the world.
Now we have all heard the stats regarding the state of the world: Destruction of rainforests, global warming, 20% of people consuming 80% of the resources, the top 10 most wealthy people having 1 and 1/2 times the wealth of the poorest 48 countries (UN report on Human Development), etc., etc., and there is no doubt that the system at whole is not working. Now if we look at the predominant economic system at work it is captalism - Put two and two together. So why is capitalism failing, why did communism fail completely and what can we draw from the knowledge of both these system to come up with a better future for one and for all. This might seem like idealism but the sort of solution we need is going to seem idealistic at the present.
I realise that I haven't thrown down any suggestions or judgements of real substance in this but I've been finding these long mails pretty tough to get through so I withheld from doing so myself. Also wanted to take a few steps backwards just to put us back into the context of the very real situation.
Asking for trouble
Brian B.
PS: If anyone says that the greater wealth and individual freedom offered by capitalism means that people will then have the time and inclination to reduce the environmental damage they cause then I want to know why the U.S of A ("greatest god-damned nation on the face of this earth" - Pres. Bush) has reneged on its obligations to reduce carbon dioxide ommissions as layed out by the Rio Global Environmental summit.
None.
