- Capitalism and Alternatives -

ground zero

Posted by: Gee ( si ) on July 09, 1999 at 14:24:52:

In Reply to: Zeroing in posted by Samuel Day Fassbinder on July 09, 1999 at 12:33:24:

: SDF: In some cultures and some societies, "comparative advantage" might produce advantages for some people,

Thats the point, the original discussion however many posts ago was along the lines that those poeple with current advantage are not going to willingly give that up in order to achieve a more egalitarian future.

: forms where co-operation to overcome the survival obstacles of the group are unsuccessful.

And wherever such situations exist it is unlikely for those with advantage to come down willingly, history reflects this.

: Assuming that "comparative advantage" is necessary for survival in some objective sense

does not mean its context free, what is objectively real is real in context. All I was ever actually saying was "in this context comparative advantage is beneficial to those who have it therefore they will not easily give it up" If only I had used that self same sentence it would not have triggered a standardised response which you have for any thing that smacks of your perception of 'natural law' to you.

: SDF: "Individual goals" and "childrens survival and prosperity" and "validity" are PRODUCTS of culture. Whether something is "valid" or "invalid" is a culture-specific judgment.

The standard of life can be objective - it doesnt matter if people calue it or not, if you dont pursue it you die, in this sense it is objective


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