: And as for the point you make about the price system helping innovations as in scientists, try and consider innovation as in artistic or cultural innovation. Wouldn't artists preserve their artistic integrity better if they didn't need to make marketable art to survive?We are in the midst of the greatest artistic age in the history! Look at all of the films, books, CDs, plays, and concerts that are available today. And the prices are low enough that even the poorest people in the world have at least a radio.
Artists *should* produce marketable art. This way, the people get to decide what they want. Under Socialism, who would decide which artists to feed? Who would decide which art was worth investing society's resources in?
(I know that there are problems with the current art system. But I would rather modify what we have than switch.)
Bringing the Third World into Capitalism is a touchy problem. For starters, I'm not in favor of imposing our system on anybody. But it hurts me to see the brightest Indians, Asians, and Africans leaving their homeland and coming to America...the only place where their talents will be recognized. If their economies at home were more liberal, this talent could stay home and help the people who need it most.
(The Third World issue should probably be another thread)
- nat
