I’m not religious, never have been. But Pope Francis has been a great relief after Pope Benedict’s concentration on orthodoxy and theological purity, although perhaps I was negatively influenced by Andrew Sullivan’s view of the former Pope. Francis’ public comments which I happen to stumble across seem more connected to the real world; his 3rd world origins give us a flip-side view of USA dominance of the world which is refreshing and important.
So now MarketWatch‘s Paul Farrell reports on the content of his upcoming (June 18th) encyclical. I’ll take them one at a time:
Capitalism is threatening the survival of human civilization
A “threat to peace arises from the greedy exploitation of environmental resources. Monopolizing of lands, deforestation, the appropriation of water, inadequate agro-toxics are some of the evils that tear man from the land of his birth. Climate change, the loss of biodiversity and deforestation are already showing their devastating effects in the great cataclysms we witness.”
This is difficult to deny in the face of the destruction of the Amazon. Let’s face it: raw capitalism is an unbalanced system in the sense that, while a libertarian will tell you that a wise owner will husband their resources in order to wring maximum long term profit, that has the hidden assumption that long term profit is desirable. This is not always true; sometimes short-term profit is the desire of the owner, whether that’s rational or not.
There is a second hidden assumption: that value is objective. It is not: value is, by and large, subjective. Sure, we all value clean air and water … when it’s our water and air. I discussed this a while ago here:
In the early days, the only international companies were the trading companies such as the Dutch East India Company; the overwhelming majority of companies were strictly local companies. This resulted in the owners and the management having to live with the results of their decisions. If you made a decision to treat your employees poorly, you heard about it: at church, at your office, and, if you were not a monopoly, at the clerk’s counter, as the customers decided to take their business elsewhere. Communities did not exist to further the fortunes of companies, but to further the fortunes of the citizens, and they realized that betterment of the community resulted in the betterment of the citizens.
So now we see there are two dimensions to value: relative location as well as differing judgments on value itself. So when I say the system is out of balance, it means resources are used for short-term profit because of different requirements, because valuations differ, and sometimes because people are idiots.
The managed capitalism practiced in first world countries is also destructive as it’s difficult to regulate the externalities involved. It may help to remember that capitalism is often characterized as using human selfishness to better the human condition; unspoken is the assumption that most of the selfishness balances out and the rest can be handled through minor regulations and the efforts of non-capitalist institutions … such as churches. What is thought to work automatically is sometimes quite ramshackle.
Capitalism is destroying nonrenewable resources for personal gain
This is quite evident, not only in second and third world countries, but in the shorn off tops of mountains in the United States.
Capitalism has lost its ethical code, has no moral compass
Indeed, it’s hard not to see it as another religious institution for many folks these days. And, given previous economic alternatives, it’s not a difficult thing to understand: it offers economic mobility, predicated on the notion of meritocracy. There is nothing wrong with this notion. Consider the idea of being stuck in your station for the rest of your life, a fate that beset millions prior to the notion of capitalism. (Which may seem fine if you’re a programmer making a good living; now consider the janitor, the shoe salesman, the waiter. While professional examples of each may be found, in general they are not considered stepping stones to a better life when they’re the final stop.)
Communism featured its own brand of social climbing, one that had little to do with merit. Socialism is not well known, or understood, in the USA.
Back to the point; capitalism, as the dominant economic system in many countries, especially the USA, has come to the point where many think it IS the point. Efficiency becomes the point, not building an institution attractive to both customers and employees – and leaves one of our most storied companies stained with embarrassment.
Not all companies have fallen into this mistake, of course; conscious capitalism (briefly discussed here) is an explication of the purpose and practice of responsible capitalism.
Capitalists worship the golden calf of a money god
Certainly a question for many Wall Street types. On the other hand, some folks simply worked hard at their company and made millions.
Capitalists pursuit of personal wealth destroys the common good
… An economic system centered on the god of money needs to plunder nature to sustain the frenetic rhythm of consumption that is inherent to it.
What a great phrase, it really makes you think a bit.
Capitalism has no respect for Earth’s natural environment
There is no inherent value in the natural world as-is (and we’ll skip the discussion about Nature not being a static entity, either) for the capitalist; at least, not until their destruction of it rebounds on their heads to great effect, with, no doubt, a few exceptions. But this is where we live, it is what supports us, so it behooves us to consider our actions and how they may negatively effect us.
Us. Us. Consider that word, a unitary word for a collective entity, an entity which doesn’t communicate particularly well outside of its own immediate circle. The Internet may in fact be a symptom of this problem, and an attempt to ameliorate it. But keep that in mind: “Us” is a misleading word, as what I write may only impact those who read it, and no one else. The folks building a coal-fired power plant on the Amazon will not realize what impact that may have upstream, downstream – or on the other side of the world.
Capitalists only see the working class as consumers and machine tools
Sure seems that way sometimes. See conscious capitalism.
Capitalism is killing our planet, our civilization and the people
And yet … the benefits of capitalism have been undeniable, its superiority over the previous systems make it beloved of anyone ground into the dirt – if they were able to use it to improve their lot. There’s a lot to say for it, so that last statement is provocative, to say the least.
Mr. Farrell:
Imagine Pope Francis addressing a hostile GOP controlled joint session of the U.S. Congress in September. There’s no chance of changing the minds of those hard-right politicians, all heavily dependent on fossil-fuel special-interest donations. But he’s clearly laying the groundwork for a global revolution, and his enemies know it.
Indeed. But, if it’s phrased so confrontationally, will it be wise? Hardening the position of those who back unfettered capitalism may make it that much harder to win the war. Declarations are fine when speaking to the home team, but you need reasoned arguments, preferably using their own ideology against them, to win the important battles.
And, on that note, what is the life expectancy of the Pope? Will his successor, picked by the Cardinals, rather than by himself, be up for the job of continuing the battle?
(h/t Accumbens @ The Daily Kos)
(Updated – fixed a missing apostrophe, changed formatting for readability – 7/22/2015)
