From: Samantha Atkins (samantha@objectent.com)
Date: Sat May 25 2002 - 04:13:34 MDT
Brian D Williams wrote:
>
> They will find a cure and I will not be able to afford it since
> unlike their parents I paid for their education, and these things
> aren't free. TANSTAAFL.
>
> In a capitalist economy we aren't all in this together, we are all
> in competition. You are asking me to unfairly subsidize my
> competition.
That is a bit of a twisted view of capitalism actually. In a
capitalist society you trade value for value. It is about that,
not about being in competition with everyone else per se. Being
in competition with the entire world means you can never be at
peace or not on your guard. It means you can never help anyone
without "helping your competiont". This doesn't seem like a
bappy way to live. What of helping those who will be future
contributors to the amount of wealth in the world to fully
maximize that potential so the amount of real wealth is greater
than it would be otherwise? I think your selfish filter is
screening at much too short a range.
>
> On a gentler note, (the list could use a little lately) as a
> practicing Zen/Buddhist I am well aware of the interconnectedness
> of all things, but as an evolutionist and Extropian, I'm also aware
> how any advantage given to an individual has consequences for those
> not given that advantage.
>
Actually, it depends on whether the advantage is zero-sum or
not. Education, knowledge and information generally are not
zero-sum. It may fairly be said that the more they are shared,
the more people are given this "advantage", the more of this
particular type of advantage their is to share. This is very
different from the all-competitive, rat-race model.
- samantha
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