[MD] Commie Talk and USA bashing?

[MarshaV]

Andre,

You seem so on the right track.  I'm enjoying your posts.

Marsha



At 03:03 AM 10/8/2008, you wrote:
>Hello All,
>
>I have noticed that there are differing opinions/ convictions about at which
>level capitalism and socialism belong. Following Pirsig's advice I looked up
>their definitions. These are from www.yourdictionary.com (I do not have a
>dictionary I can 'lay my hands' on).
>
>Capitalism:
>an economic system in which all or most of the means of production and
>distribution, as land, factories, communications, and transportation
>systems, are privately owned and operated in a relatively competitive
>environment through the investment of capital to produce profits: it has
>been characterized by a tendency toward the concentration of wealth, the
>growth of large corporations, etc. that has led to economic inequality,
>which has been dealt with usually by increased government action and control
>
>Socialism:
>any of various theories or systems of the ownership and operation of the
>means of production and distribution by society or the community rather than
>by private individuals, with all members of society or the community sharing
>in the work and the products
>
>Pirsig on the intellectual level:
>"...the greatest meaning can be given to the intellectual level if it is
>confined to the skilled manupulation of abstract symbols *that have
>no* *corresponding
>particular experience* and which behave according to rules of their own" (In
>A.McWatt's paper "A critical Analysis..." p79). Italics are mine because I
>do not completely know what is meant by this.
>
>However it appears to me that given this guideline both capitalism and
>socialism belong to the *social level*...and so do governments/ the
>political sector with their interventions (when needed), G8 Summits,
>economic Think tanks, International and National Trade negotiations/
>agreements. etc etc. to ensure some sort of  laissez "fairness"  the whole
>operation i.e this is not intellectualising at the abstract level.
>Their big difference being that capitalism has DQ as its built-in driving
>force and socialism hasn't...and that makes the difference.
>
>But this, of course, contradicts Pirsig's argument who places socialism at
>the intellectual level.
>
>(Without wanting to be facetious I have argued in an earlier post that
>socialism does not exist...in actual practice. That is: it still is in the
>realms of some people's imagination. I certainly don't see it from where I
>am).
>
>
>Of course I stand corrected in my interpretation.
>
>Andre
>Moq_Discuss mailing list
>Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc.
>http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org
>Archives:
>http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/
>http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/

.
.

Shoot for the moon.  Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars.........
.
.