Quote:
Originally Posted by multiweb
Ok, poor choice of word then let's swap by generate money. To pay the workers as well.
|
Actually workers generate profits and so pay the employers.
Quote:
Originally Posted by multiweb
Growth promotes research and progress. You're talking about over-population.  |
It is true that historically capitalism had more use for research than the preceding feudal agricultural economy and so promoted research. However it does not follow that capitalism is the only possible economic system that would value and promote research. Unless the whole world were to fall victim to a Pol Pot-like dictatorship any conceivable economic system in this technologically-reliant world will value and promote research, though priorities would certainly change. Cuba, for all its faults and failings, is doing fantastic research in medicine (cancer treatments in particular), though this won't be reported in the mainstream media (I heard this from a friend who is a GP). [And before anyone suggest otherwise, no I'm not suggesting we slavishly follow the Cubans.]
However capitalism has an inbuilt need for growth and this is its great Achilles heel. In the long term permanent growth (implying an increased rate of usage of natural resources and an increased subjugation of the ecosystem to human sustenance) is simply unsustainable. Over-population is part of this problem but the fact that more people can (in principle at least) generate profits quicker will prevent capitalist governments from addressing this problem. It is notable that China (again despite its many many faults and failings) has taken the population issue more seriously than India.