@Dashrender said in Buying vs Saving Economic Theory:
@Kelly said in Buying vs Saving Economic Theory:
@scottalanmiller said in Buying vs Saving Economic Theory:
@Kelly said in Buying vs Saving Economic Theory:
@scottalanmiller said in Buying vs Saving Economic Theory:
@Kelly said in Buying vs Saving Economic Theory:
@scottalanmiller said in Buying vs Saving Economic Theory:
@Kelly said in Buying vs Saving Economic Theory:
The problem with the 2% working with 98% not theory is that it doesn't accommodate for the human desire for power. It would be an amazing situation to be in except for the fact that some people will not be content with what they receive and not interested in earning more. If everyone lived free from fear, then it will work, but very few people do, and that leads to seeking power to insulate from fear.
That's true, except that nearly all of the 98% don't have power. The majority of people don't seek to be leaders and fewer still manage to be. Those getting power from work are the few, not the many. And many that do use it for evil, so curtailing that has a major positive benefit. Few people derive power from work, and given the protection of the system it removes much of the need for power.
I don't know that removing the economic factor affects the desire for power. I'm not addressing power via work, but desire for power over others in general. Gangs do not exist to commit crimes. They exist because of fear, and people control others or allow themselves to be controlled to mitigate fear. Economics play into it, but are not the primary motivator.
We may not remove the desire for power, but does it encourage it? Social structures will exist just the same. Power tiering will still be there just like before.
That is my point. the 2/98 theory does not account for that, and is likely to breakdown like most social structures that ignore this aspect of humanity, a la Soviet Russia.
My point was that the same power structures will be there that are there now, the issues you are concerned about exist today. This isn't an economic model designed to fix them, but it might help them. I don't see the reason to feel that it would hurt them. And remember that it's not like soviet Russia, it is not a planned economy. People are totally free to pursue ambitions, so all current outlets for power will still exist, none removed. So none of your concerns would apply like they would in polar opposite models. Soviet Russia provided everyone's jobs, 100% workers, it's the extreme opposite from an economic model.
I'm not equating economic models. I was comparing social structures that ignore fear and power as basic human motivations. The reason that properly checked capitalism has been so stable (in general) is that it accounts for these things. It assumes that everyone is fundamentally greedy and self-centered, and works accordingly. Any social or economic structure that ignores this aspect of the human experience has failed, sometime spectacularly. And before there is any possibility of drawing this conclusion, we are not functioning in a truely capitalistic society in the US today, so I am not advocating that where we are today is a good place either socially or economically.
Question - Does greed still exist as a massive motivator when, with a good enough public handout, there is little want? Let me put this another way, if people in general are able to scratch just about any itch they have, is there any significant reduction in the issues you're worried about?
We only have one real category that has this state currently. Do the hyper-rich, who want for nothing, cease to be greedy or stop wanting to exert power over others?
