[You are of course right to point out the teleology in all sorts of "evolutionist" arguments.]
: The most successful of thes institutions in terms of human advancent have been made in Western, capitalist societies.
[On the other hand, this might be a bit of a leap. Which particular "human advancements" are you referring to, and how are these particular "advancements" directly attributable to capitalism - and (if we can agree on an advancement) why would they be unlikely to occur under a socialist system?]
: Socialists just can't bear to admit you're wrong even though history has proved it to be the case.
[Well, this is a common trait. Few people care to admit they are wrong. Do you?]
:If you don't believe me, I suggest you spend your next holiday in one of the ex-Soviet republics. You will see the effect that a prologed experiment with socialism has had on prople's lives.
[Your use of history is irrelevant here. Nobody (so far as I know) has defended State Socialism as it appeared in the Soviet Union and the satellite nations. Those socialists who post on this board are quite familiar with the history. They just have a Very different idea as to what socialism Could be. For many, socialism without democracy would be unthinkable.
In the sweep of human history, capitalism has been on the scene for a tiny fraction of time. It is a bit early for an "End of History" thesis - certainly modern global capitalism has brought forth technological marvels. It has also, in the process, created immense poverty and suffering. (We like to point out the horrors of Russia's slave labor in, for example, building Dneiper type dams. We conveiently forget about the deaths of thousands of Chinese in building the railroads, or other projects like the Panama Canal)
Capitalism is a good idea for those preoccupied with methods of accumulating wealth. It is not such a good idea for those more preoccupied with matters of social justice and the environment.
: --
: McSpotlight: Soo, if we haven't evolved at all in the last million years, why aren't we all the same race...?
[I've heard one explaination having something to do with rate of vitamin D production under less direct sunlight the further one gets from the equator. Melanin pigment inhibits the production of vitamin D so lighter skinned people would be favored in higher latitudes. (This does not explain how the mutation lacking the gene for melanin might have occured).]
