[MD] Are we the people stupid?

[Platt Holden]

Mike:

P:
> > Capitalism is considered valuable because "A free market is a Dynamic
> > institution." (Lila, 17)

M: 
> In words that would make sense to someone unfamiliar with Pirsig....?

I would emphasize the words "free" or "freedom." From Pirsig:

"Dynamic Quality is the pre-intellectual cutting edge of realty, the 
source of all things, completely simple and always new. It was the 
moral force that had motivated the brujo in Zuni. It contains no 
pattern of fixed rewards and punishments. Its only perceived good is 
freedom and its only perceived evil is static quality itself-any 
pattern of one-sided fixed values that tries to contain and kill the 
ongoing free force of life." (Lila, 9)

M:
> > > On the other
> > > hand, communism is often held to be based on a view of human nature
> > > that is 'too idealistic'. This may be true at the present time, and
> > > it may explain why large-scale communist experiments such as the
> > > Soviet Union have so far tended to descend into brutal dictatorship.

P:
> > When you say "This may be true at the present time" do you mean that
> > in the future communism will become the favored political and economic
> > system?

M: 
> I mean that, at the present time, a functioning society requires
> incentives, preferably the carrot provided by capitalism. In the
> absence of this carrot, the stick of coercion becomes necessary.
> Communism becomes feasible in a society in which people are
> self-motivated - motivated to contribute without being pressured by the
> need to earn money, or to avoid a stick-beating. At the present time,
> this is a pipe-dream. So, I would argue that totalitarianism is based
> out an outdated and degrading view of human nature (see Hobbes),
> capitalism is based on a realistic view of human nature, and communism
> is based on an idealised view of human nature.
 
Yes, yes.  I agree.  Thanks for the explanation.

Platt