What happens when the whole world is Capitalist?-OR-Capitalism=Communism

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the implications of a fully integrated global capitalist system, exploring the potential future dynamics of capitalism as more countries adopt capitalist practices. Participants examine the historical context, current trends, and hypothetical outcomes of a world where wealth disparities are minimized and labor markets are more equalized.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant suggests that as countries like China and India develop economically, they will eventually become significant consumer markets, leading to a more integrated global capitalist system.
  • Another participant expresses disagreement, arguing that South America is moving towards anarchism/socialism, which could create a divide between North and South America.
  • A different participant raises concerns about the potential for massive corporations to dominate politics, which could hinder competition and alter the predicted outcomes of capitalism.
  • There is a discussion about the misconceptions surrounding communism, with one participant asserting that equality alone does not equate to communism.
  • One participant posits that the future of capitalism may lead to a scenario where profits are minimized due to wage competition, potentially resembling a workers' paradise as envisioned by Marx.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of opinions, with some agreeing on the potential for a more integrated capitalist system while others contest the implications and predict alternative outcomes, particularly regarding the political and economic trajectories of different regions.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight various assumptions, such as the inevitability of economic development in certain regions and the impact of political ideologies on economic systems. There are also unresolved questions about the definitions and implications of terms like "capitalism" and "communism."

  • #31
wasteofo2 said:
That's a totally ridiculous assertation.
Right now, about 1/3 of the world is so wealthy that nearly all the products made for this 1/3 of the world must be made in another 1/3 of the world that is poorer. This 1/3 of the world (China, India, and South East Asia, which are actually far more than 1/3 of the world's population) are rapidly growing because of the immense amounts of wealth being pumped into them by the currently rich Western World. Why is raising the living standard of the remaining 1/3 anything but inevitable?
Whilst I see merit in your central premise that over time it is likely nations will reach a global equilibrium I question your assertion regarding a harmonisation of wealth within these nations.
Statistics show that in all capitalist countries wealth gravitates to the wealthy even when as in France and Britain there is a 'socialist' government in charge. Taking Britain as an example the current figure is approx. 3% of the population own 97% of the wealth.
Given this huge disparity there will always be an underclass to exploit. With no cheap international labour pool to fish in I would imagine capitalism would simply revert to pre-globalization days (which is a relatively recent phenomena anyway) in which each nation simply exploits it's own underclasses as it does today. Wage competition has not eradicated the need for western capitalist countries to impose minimum wage levels to prevent the worst excesses of exploitation.
The effects of no longer having cheap international labour available will actually be fairly marginable. It is perhaps worth bearing in mind that for most manufactured items labour costs account for less than 10% of total production costs and so given the increase in transport to get the goods to market the bottom line saving to manufacturers from out-sourcing is typically in the low single digits.
 
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  • #32
I honestly don't see "capitalism" ever taking over the whole world. I think the only way you'd be able to do that is if you find a way to constantly, systematically purge out the lower classes.

Hey, at least we'd have the population under control.
 

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