CON GAMES: Capitalism -- The God That Failed

[marmar]

from HuffPost:



Michael Conniff
Posted February 13, 2009 | 12:05 PM (EST)

CON GAMES: Capitalism -- The God That Failed


Conservatism across the fruited plain is religion careening perilously close to fundamentalism. Not only do many conservatives embrace the one true faith of the free market -- whatever denomination that happens to be -- but they are also dedicated to absolutes in all things.

Aside from religion, that fervor makes them much like Marxists who wolf down the godless doctrines of communism with absolute certainty. They would never blame capitalism itself for taking it on the chin but would prefer to point to impurities discovered in the spit bucket. To their kind, whenever capitalism falters the failure is always because the free market has an arm tied behind its back.

This circular thinking has to be likened to the abstract construct that has always been Marxism -- a stew that puts the working class at the center of the universe and preaches historical inevitability that never quite worked out. The intellectual dishonesty of such an approach among communists and conservatives inevitably leads to purification if not outright purges. To solve the woes of capitalism, circa 2009, conservatives have chosen to stamp down on any mechanism to steer business in a better direction. To say otherwise is free-market heresy.

Or so the saying goes.

The difference between the failure of capitalism and the wretched excesses of communism is found in The God That Failed, the 1949 book of six essays. The six contributors were Louis Fischer, André Gide, Arthur Koestler, Ignazio Silone, Stephen Spender, and Richard Wright. Lefties all, all six ultimately changed their minds about communism and had the wisdom to admit it. ......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-conniff/con-games-capitalism----t_b_166181.html

[nomorenomore08]

1. Communism, Christianity, and unregulated capitalism are all branches of the same dubious tree.

Each of these belief systems preaches a "historical inevitability" (great phrase, that one) that will lead to some version of Eden, i.e. a utopian paradise achievable if people would only think and behave the "right way" (however that right way is defined). And each, in its own way, is inimical to human nature as understood since ancient times.

[FKA MNChimpH8R]

2. And all three are, at bottom

bullshit on stilts.