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This issue came up in another forum. The question is this:
Is wealth a zero-sum game?
By this, I mean is it required that in order for one person to get richer, another must get poorer in any economic system because the amount of wealth available is constant (at least with respect to population)?
Please note, though the discussion will inevitably turn to capitalism vs communism, the question is more broad and includes both. Certainly many people believe capitalism works this way in practice, but I want to know if all systems must work this way due to an inherrent limitation in the amount of wealth available.
I'll just let the poll go for a little while - naturally I have an opinion I wish to discuss and a point to make.
Is wealth a zero-sum game?
By this, I mean is it required that in order for one person to get richer, another must get poorer in any economic system because the amount of wealth available is constant (at least with respect to population)?
Please note, though the discussion will inevitably turn to capitalism vs communism, the question is more broad and includes both. Certainly many people believe capitalism works this way in practice, but I want to know if all systems must work this way due to an inherrent limitation in the amount of wealth available.
I'll just let the poll go for a little while - naturally I have an opinion I wish to discuss and a point to make.