r/badphilosophy • u/WorryMyFriendsDont • Sep 14 '20
Xtreme Philosophy Capitalism: Defined and Defended
https://www.clemson.edu/centers-institutes/capitalism/documents/Capitalism-Defined-and-Defended.pdf
This pamphlet was put out by a program under my university's business college. It was written by a political science professor here, who works technically under the business department (allegedly with Koch funding) to teach pro-capitalist courses that somehow count towards a pol-sci major over a 4-year program (enough money can make any degree plan work I guess). Bad political economy abound. Here's some juicy excerpts:
It is possible to state the definition of capitalism in its most essential terms: Capitalism is the social system based on the recognition and protection of individual rights.
to be fully moral, men must act long-range, in their own interest, according to their own conclusions.
Capitalism protects men and makes it possible for them to be moral by removing the primary social evil, the means of stopping them from taking moral action, the initiation of physical force
Individual rights are the means by which every man can live morally in society with other men.
Human nature demands that each man be self-sustaining...
In capitalism, there can be no public property.
Yes, there are winners and losers in capitalism. The winners are those who are honest, industrious, thoughtful, prudent, frugal, responsible, disciplined, and efficient. The losers are those who are shiftless, lazy, imprudent, extravagant, negligent, impractical, and inefficient. Capitalism is the only social system that rewards virtue and punishes vice.
- Bonus points for the unapologetic aporophobia.
Despite the intellectuals’ psychotic hatred of capitalism, it is the only moral and just social system. Capitalism is the only moral system because it requires human beings to deal with one another as traders
Socialism’s teaching on self-sacrifice was nicely summarized by two of its greatest defenders, Hermann Goering and Bennito Mussolini
The sole cause of the ever-improving working and living conditions of the laboring classes in this century is due to the industrial and technological advances in the means of production that are the consequence of freedom, voluntary exchange, and the entrepreneurial spirit.
This institution's twitter account also has some gems:
https://twitter.com/Capitalism_Inst/status/1102613471244574720?s=20
https://twitter.com/Capitalism_Inst/status/1065598465030393857?s=20
https://twitter.com/Capitalism_Inst/status/1053314956995817472?s=20
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u/RaidRover Sep 14 '20
Despite the intellectuals’ psychotic hatred of capitalism, it is the only moral and just social system. Capitalism is the only moral system because it requires human beings to deal with one another as traders
Socialism’s teaching on self-sacrifice was nicely summarized by two of its greatest defenders, Hermann Goering and Bennito Mussolini
They aren't even pretending to be academic with this propaganda. This might as well be a segment on Fox & Friends having a discussion with Ben Shapiro.
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u/TheBatz_ Sep 14 '20
This reads like a very poor reading of Hayek. Like, a VERY bad reading.
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u/EnterprisingAss The blind who should lead the blind Sep 15 '20
No, it’s worse than that. This is 100% Ayn Rand.
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Sep 14 '20
Care to explain more to a noob? I only know Hayek was very pro-market
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u/TheBatz_ Sep 14 '20
Hayek was pro "free" market and went to lengths in discussing what free means. The market is itself necessary as only in relations of trade can the "Rule of Law" exist, where the individual can protect his rights. Fair trade creates obligations on both sides, thus both parties see each other with dignity.
Of course, the problem is what is a free market. For Hayek, for example, a market is free when people are not coerced or forced to do something. He open for UBI because then workers could CHOOSE where they wanted to work, and not be driven by necessity.
Basically, most "capitalist" economists, from Smith to Hayek and Keynes, always mentioned the short comings of unregulated markets and always opted that human dignity comes before the economy and the economy should serve human dignity.
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u/as-well Sep 14 '20
Ungentle reminder that giving and asking for learns results in a ban; sometimes it's a temp ban if we are otherwise not too unhappy, sometimes it's permanent. Either way, don't do it.
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u/runnerx4 Sep 14 '20
Is it because it’s funny or is it because it distracts the comments from dunking?
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u/Hennes4800 Sep 15 '20
care to explain?
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u/as-well Sep 15 '20
There are rules, I enforce them. I'm sure you can find them.
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u/Shitgenstein Sep 15 '20
The downvotes are because they don't want warnings, just swift and silent justice.
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u/AnarchistBorganism PHILLORD Sep 14 '20
The initiation of physical force is evil because it halts the rational mind.
First, [citation needed].
Second, private property is specifically about granting the property owner authority over property backed by nothing but a right to initiate force. So private property is evil.
To be objective, a law must be based on the recognition and protection of individual rights.
Why are there no citations?
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u/YourMomlsABlank Sep 14 '20
Why are there no citations?
Honestly I think its because they dont even know how to form a proper argument. They think making a claim is the same as making an argument. No support, no evidence or further argument necessary, people do it on reddit all the time with no appreciation for the incompleteness of their claim.
Its frustrating to argue against someone who deosnt even know how to argue
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u/TheLastHayley Sep 14 '20
"Yes, there are winners and losers in capitalism. The winners are those who are honest, industrious, thoughtful, prudent, frugal, responsible, disciplined, and efficient. The losers are those who are shiftless, lazy, imprudent, extravagant, negligent, impractical, and inefficient. Capitalism is the only social system that rewards virtue and punishes vice."
Considering we know from studying this that the biggest factor of financial success is basically sheer luck, it's wild that they don't even consider referencing it. To the point it's hard to say if it's due to malicious intent, or the Just World Hypothesis on some serious steroids.
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Sep 14 '20
CMV Business schools shouldn’t be in universities
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u/ZyraunO Sep 14 '20
CMV Business schools are barely schools, and business students are insufferable
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u/RaidRover Sep 14 '20
If they aren't in Universities they will have 0 obligations to take writing, humanities, history, or sociology courses meaning they will be more insulated and have an even narrower perspective. They will meet less diverse groups and will their teachers will have even fewer ethical requirements. It will make business graduates that are more insulated, less compassionate, less understanding, less ethical, and more selfish.
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Sep 14 '20 edited Mar 01 '21
[deleted]
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u/RaidRover Sep 14 '20
You do when they become your employer.
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u/mad-letter Sep 14 '20
do they even teach ethics in business schools
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Sep 14 '20
Yes, they teach Business Ethics. I have no idea what they cover in those courses though to be honest
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u/WorryMyFriendsDont Sep 14 '20
A lot of it is bad philosophy about weird pseudo-Kantian obligations towards your employer. They’ll pull out two uncited statistics about employee productivity and be like “and that’s why you have a duty to offer up your firstborn to your boss.”
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u/LaoTzusGymShoes Sep 14 '20
This is a rare case of Rule 4 not applying to a question like this, cause the answer is you don't learn jack shit.
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u/l0ve11ie Sep 16 '20
I just took business and professional ethics and it was very anti-consumerism. We also talked about how business are given the rights of a person under the law and if they actually were a person they would all the traits or a sociopath
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u/TheBatz_ Sep 14 '20
CMV universities should only have Law, Medicine, Theology and Philosophy.
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u/Aletheia-Pomerium Sep 14 '20
I took Two of those, I probably am the most anti tradition. I have lived my life upon a well trotted cursus honorum. Kinda weird, for a lefty
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u/BruceChameleon Sep 14 '20
My college required two theology courses as part of the core curriculum, and I’m no worse off for it.
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u/kvltswagjesus Sep 14 '20
No sociology? :/
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u/VivaCristoRei Post Marxist Neo Modernist Sep 15 '20
Nah dude just figure it out. Or go without something that sounds kinda plausible.
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u/warwick607 Sep 14 '20
It's funny, because MBAs, accountants, and neoclassical economists would largely say the same thing about sociology and humanities departments. They unironically think their disciplines are "descriptive, unbiased, logical, etc" and therefore the only way to produce "evidence-based" social policy.
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u/WorryMyFriendsDont Sep 14 '20
Despite how much these people probably hate free handouts, there is for better or worse a 10k scholarship for participating in four years of this mindless drivel (not the business college, but the program which is in particular associated with this pamphlet).
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Sep 14 '20
[deleted]
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u/RaidRover Sep 14 '20
"Eating a meal you didn't harvest? Thank Capitalism." I didn't realize feudal kings were capitalists now. It sure is a good thing Capitalism invented trade and markets; can't believe humanity survived so long without those ever existing.
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u/dank-R-us Sep 14 '20
Don’t forget that capitalism also invented morality and rationality. Which is why anti-capitalists are actually irrational and immoral. Checkmate libtard
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u/yeahiknow3 Sep 14 '20
The winners are those who are honest, industrious, thoughtful, prudent, frugal, responsible, disciplined, and efficient.
This is some flagrant phantasmagorical bullshit. To be fair though, empirical reality doesn’t matter if you’re a business major.
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Sep 15 '20
I graduated from Clemson’s college of business in 2018. There were always flyers on the bulletin boards with deep analytical messages like, “Do you like eating fruit that’s out of season? Thank Capitalism!”
I never heard or saw a single mention of the “Institute for the Study of Capitalism” besides those flyers. Always thought it was really weird.
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u/WorryMyFriendsDont Sep 15 '20 edited Nov 17 '20
Starting at the latest 2017 (when I was accepted), this program (the Lyceum scholars) spam-emails you to death right after your acceptance into Clemson with carrot-on-stick promises of a 10k scholarship and a political science degree, then you look it up and it’s basically this wacky laissez-faire cult. A guy who applied told me that their application involved an interview which was basically a 10 question ideological screening, where he was asked insane questions like “will a totally unregulated market always produce the best results?” They pretty much just preach to the converted, and it produces some of the more obnoxious students I know. So, currently they’re much more brash than bashful.
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Sep 15 '20
Ah now that you mention it I do sort of remember those annoying emails. Shows how much I checked my email in college I guess😅
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u/DaneLimmish Super superego Sep 14 '20
Despite the intellectuals’ psychotic hatred of capitalism
Bro you are an intellectual
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u/TheBatz_ Sep 14 '20
As we know from philosophy and economics, you can only have socialism OR capitalism. No in-between. Never. So pick your poorly defined economic system you fence sitting fuck.
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u/RaidRover Sep 14 '20
Didn't you read the quote from Capitalism Defined and Defended? Capitalism is a "social system" not an economic one!
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u/Zondatastic Sep 15 '20
the most basic definition of capitalism is that capitalism is when thing good. 😎
therefore socialism is when thing bad. 🤓
capitalism is the only moral and just system simply by me defining it as that. my opinion is the correctest, because I got paid for it.🤑
checkmate Stalin. pee pee poo poo 👁👄👁
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u/junaburr Sep 15 '20
They seem to be jumping ship with that “Teach American Exceptionalism in schools” proposal.
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u/_giraffefucker Sep 14 '20
hahahahahahahahaha i guess they’re defining virtue as ruthless profit seeking and vice as anything that isn’t that