Capitalism vs. Confucius
In response to my post on the blessings of capitalism, our commie friend has posted some anti-capitalist quotes from Confucius [UPDATE: he says that it's not a direct response to my post and I'll take him at his word]. I specifically responded to several of his quotations but I also made an argument, told a story and shared a few quotes which I'll reproduce here:
Capitalism is a means to an end, not the end itself; it transforms greed/self-interest into something positive for the community. Furthermore, greed isn’t considered a virtue; it’s merely a motivating factor. Capitalism is merely the economic engine of Western society; it’s only one component. Western society is built on more than just capitalism. You call capitalism a "social-economic" system while conservatives only look to capitalism as the best possible economic system. For morality and social mores, we look to the Judeo-Christian tradition.
"Rabbi Gamliel, the son of Rabbi Yehuda HaNassi, says: Torah study combined with a worldly occupation is a beautiful thing, for the exertion of both together makes one forget about sin. Any Torah study that is not combined with labor will eventually dissipate and result in sin." -Ethics of Our Fathers 2:2
It should also be noted here that in the Talmud (Tractate Berachos 27b), there is a dispute between Rabbi Gamliel and Rabbi Yehoshua. R'Gamliel is the head of the Sanhedrin (the highest court and governing body) and R'Yehoshua is one of the greatest scholars. R'Gamliel crossed the line and showed R'Yehoshua disrespect, but recognized the error of his ways and went to apologize. When he reached the home of R'Yehoshua, the Gemarra recounts the following story:
When he came to R'Yehoshua's house he noticed that the walls of the house were black. He remarked, "From the walls of your house I can tell you are a blacksmith." R'Yehoshua replied, "Woe to the generation whose leader you are, since I see that you have no idea what Torah scholars are going through, how hard it is for them to make a living and to sustain themselves!" [R'Gamliel apologized and R'Yehoshua forgave him.]
As the spiritual leader, R'Gamliel lived off the good will of others. The Gemarra rejects this just as it would reject Confucius living off the goodwill of others instead of combining work with spiritual pursuits.
More quotes on economic systems:
"The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries." -Winston Churchill
"Communism only works in two places: in Heaven, where they don't need it, and in Hell, where they already have it." -Ronald Reagan
"The problem of social organization is how to set up an arrangement under which greed will do the least harm, capitalism is that kind of a system." -Milton Friedman
"History suggests that capitalism is a necessary condition for political freedom. Clearly it is not a sufficient condition." -Milton Friedman (in other words: capitalism is a necessary component, like an engine to a car, but not the only necessary component)
I think that will suffice for now...
Capitalism is a means to an end, not the end itself; it transforms greed/self-interest into something positive for the community. Furthermore, greed isn’t considered a virtue; it’s merely a motivating factor. Capitalism is merely the economic engine of Western society; it’s only one component. Western society is built on more than just capitalism. You call capitalism a "social-economic" system while conservatives only look to capitalism as the best possible economic system. For morality and social mores, we look to the Judeo-Christian tradition.
"Rabbi Gamliel, the son of Rabbi Yehuda HaNassi, says: Torah study combined with a worldly occupation is a beautiful thing, for the exertion of both together makes one forget about sin. Any Torah study that is not combined with labor will eventually dissipate and result in sin." -Ethics of Our Fathers 2:2
It should also be noted here that in the Talmud (Tractate Berachos 27b), there is a dispute between Rabbi Gamliel and Rabbi Yehoshua. R'Gamliel is the head of the Sanhedrin (the highest court and governing body) and R'Yehoshua is one of the greatest scholars. R'Gamliel crossed the line and showed R'Yehoshua disrespect, but recognized the error of his ways and went to apologize. When he reached the home of R'Yehoshua, the Gemarra recounts the following story:
When he came to R'Yehoshua's house he noticed that the walls of the house were black. He remarked, "From the walls of your house I can tell you are a blacksmith." R'Yehoshua replied, "Woe to the generation whose leader you are, since I see that you have no idea what Torah scholars are going through, how hard it is for them to make a living and to sustain themselves!" [R'Gamliel apologized and R'Yehoshua forgave him.]
As the spiritual leader, R'Gamliel lived off the good will of others. The Gemarra rejects this just as it would reject Confucius living off the goodwill of others instead of combining work with spiritual pursuits.
More quotes on economic systems:
"The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries." -Winston Churchill
"Communism only works in two places: in Heaven, where they don't need it, and in Hell, where they already have it." -Ronald Reagan
"The problem of social organization is how to set up an arrangement under which greed will do the least harm, capitalism is that kind of a system." -Milton Friedman
"History suggests that capitalism is a necessary condition for political freedom. Clearly it is not a sufficient condition." -Milton Friedman (in other words: capitalism is a necessary component, like an engine to a car, but not the only necessary component)
I think that will suffice for now...