Is Capitalism an unfalsifiable philosophy?

[LostInAnomie]

Are the basic principles behind Capitalism unfalsifiable? The idea that the market will pay you what you are worth, if there is a nitch that needs to be filled the free market will fill it, etc, these all seem like ideas that are impossible to prove or disprove.

What do you think?

[SharonAnn]

1. To test this, we'd have to have a truly "free" market. I don't think

we have ever really had a truly "free" market.

[Just Me]

2. I believe there is plenty of evidence that, a market is only,...

,...as self-adjusting as the people who control it. *LOL*

[manic expression]

3. No one is paid what they are worth

That is false. Capitalism is not the best path for society and it is not the only way (neither is socialism).

Tell me how the free market has filled the void of substance in people. Most people who buy into the capitalist system are very shallow and do not think or feel on any level higher than the material world.

The niche of homelessness has not been filled, but by and large it has been caused by the market. The need of slave-workers in third world (and first world) countries will not be filled or even helped by the market. The need of people in debt will not be filled by the market.

[AndyTiedye]

5. It's Not Capitalism When Somebody Buys the Government

This is a different system. There is a name for it. It starts with an F.

[Jack Rabbit]

4. Capitalism is not a philosophy. It is an socio-economic system.

Whether or not one thinks its a good thing or not is another question.

[kwassa]

6. Capitalism also existed before there was a theory to explain it

It really goes back probably to the beginning of human societies, and bartering and trade.

The chief original theorist was Adam Smith, with "The Wealth of Nations" in 1776.

The principle you are talking about is Smith's "Invisible Hand" that points to the need and fills it. He also talks of the need for the "public good" which we might now call a market failure, in which there is a need that societies have that will not be filled by market forces alone, and which those societies will need to provide it on a government level, such as various types of infrastructure and services.

[aneerkoinos]

9. Nope

This get's bit philosophical, but is important: nothing "exists" before there is a theory to explain it. Outside theory there is only "Ding an sich" and "transcendental", wovon Mann nicht sprechen kann... So in terms of language, only theories upon theories upon theories exist.

[kwassa]

12. nonsense

in terms of actuality

[aneerkoinos]

7. No

Capitalism is not philosophy (which is process, not theory or ideology), Capitalism is a theory (turned into fundamentalist ideology). Most profound analysis (but by no means final word) of capitalism is of course that of Marx'. And the theory of historical dialectics makes prediction that as socio-economic model capitalism will "falsified" (into the garbage bin of history together with slavery and feodalism) by it's own inherent instability.

Please take note, Capitalism is not about trade and market or even money, it's about cumulation of capital, on deeper level it's a system/paradigm of valuation.

[Deja Q]

8. It's a kettle of steaming cattle cack. It destroys families and more:

Look at what's going on around you. The rich selling at every opportunity and even other countries. And the US debt. Something in this lot is obviously falsifiable, namely the debt.

Money is hardly a cure-all for our problems. Also look at the stress it causes for individuals AND FAMILIES because, thanks to reaganomics, both parents had to start taking jobs in order to pay for everything. Less time together hurts the couple and harms the child as well. Never mind how money stress or the lack OF money leads to DIVORCE.

Repukes talk of hating divorce and families and being with the children. So why do they also then allow the corporate rich to screw their employees at the same time while buying/destroying small businesses, which means that anybody WANTING to be independent usually isn't in the end.

[followthemoney]

10. You are not paid what you are worth. You are paid what you

negotiate. Lower class compete with the unemployed. CEOs negotiate to be paid above the average. Because like at Lake Woebegone all the CEOs are above average.

[SmokingJacket]

11. Nurses are worth more than telemarketers who prey on old people --

I think that's pretty provable.

The problem with trying to defend capitalism as perfect and totally fair is with the definition of "worth" and "value."

That said, I've always thought that a form of capitalism tempered with socialism is basically what we've had for most of my lifetime, and is as close to ideal as we're liable to get -- though at this point the balance has tipped too far in favoring corporations.

[Vladimir]

13. To be falsifiable it has to become concrete

and 'capitalism', much like 'socialism', tends to mean whatever the user of the phrase wants it to mean. Politics is, with some honourable exceptions, too vague even for philosophy...