From: Dehede011@aol.com
Date: Thu Oct 24 2002 - 21:56:45 MDT
In a message dated 10/24/2002 7:59:14 PM Central Standard Time,
charleshixsn@earthlink.net writes: Consider a typical pre-industrial english
village. For the moment we'll ignore that castle on the hill. Neighbors
share with neighbors. People try to share fairly. But when it comes time to
sell a cow, just watch the negotiations! How am I to decide which parts of
this are "socialist"? Clearly they aren't all socialist. How am I to decide
which parts are capitalist? Clearly they aren't all all capitalist. And I
don't have decent definitions that will allow me to classify things.
Charles,
I think we are at about the right level. Ayn Rand in some of her
non-fiction writing covered this territory pretty well. However I will
recommend her for your consideration never expecting you to totally adopt her
viewpoint -- I don't know what viewpoint you will adopt after consideration.
Robert A. Heinlein expressed a riddle once in a book of his. If a
small village had a Spanish barber and that barber shaved every man in the
village that did not shave himself then who shaved the Spanish barber.
The answer of course to make a distinction between those things we do
in our private and public capacities.
Similarly, we have to remember that capitalism and socialism are
political theorys and exist within a political system. I am not sure it
makes any sense at all to try to introduce those terms into totally private
areas of conduct.
Within families and with workmates or close neighbors I see people do
things all the time that seem almost unclassifiable and most of the time it
doesn't bother me at all. What do you call it when your sister does
something for you and later unbidden you see something she needs so you step
up to the plate and do for her? What do you call it if you see your sister
has gotten the short end of the stick in life and you step up to help her get
ahead. In one sense you were balancing the scales between you, in another
sense you were selfishly helping yourself by strengthening the family and in
the end strengthening your own position.
But, in the end you are going to have to come up with new terms
because neither capitalism nor socialism seem to even fit that area of life
much less do they explain that conduct.
It is certain that I don't have any strict explanation or those
circumstances. I only know that those things go on between members of
families, neighborhoods and workplaces. It seems to depend upon the
intelligence, love and concern existing between the people involved.
Ron h.
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