Capitalism, Sustainability, and the Possibility of Global Collapse

Practitioner · 11-06-2008, 09:07 AM

Hire me to build a building, and I shall build one. Pay me to tear it down. I shall do so. And I shall grow wealthier despite nothing else having been accomplished.

Whether there is capitalism or some form of regulated capitalism, it seems to me that there ought to be an element of conscience, of reasonable purpose for the investment of capital. It is human selfishness and immorality that leads to economic crises. However, one could also argue that human selfishness and immorality are the pre-existing conditions of either economic model.

If new wealth is to be created without seizing upon new natural resources, then it can be accomplished by improving the efficient management of existing resources. Thus, knowledge and experience--intellectual capital--would be the new catalyst for wealth, although this might be more likely to lead to a redistribution of wealth within the system, rather that the wealth of the system itself expanding.

11-06-2008, 09:07 AM	#11
Practitioner Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 35	Re: Capitalism, Sustainability, and the Possibility of Global Collapse Hire me to build a building, and I shall build one. Pay me to tear it down. I shall do so. And I shall grow wealthier despite nothing else having been accomplished. Whether there is capitalism or some form of regulated capitalism, it seems to me that there ought to be an element of conscience, of reasonable purpose for the investment of capital. It is human selfishness and immorality that leads to economic crises. However, one could also argue that human selfishness and immorality are the pre-existing conditions of either economic model. If new wealth is to be created without seizing upon new natural resources, then it can be accomplished by improving the efficient management of existing resources. Thus, knowledge and experience--intellectual capital--would be the new catalyst for wealth, although this might be more likely to lead to a redistribution of wealth within the system, rather that the wealth of the system itself expanding.