18 Jul 2022 11:50 am
Cannonpointer » 18 Jul 2022, 10:24 am » wrote: ↑ Well, let's just make this a syllogism, which will require you to dispute one of the propositions or accept the logical conclusion. Syllogisms leave no room for cloudy communications.
1. Free enterprise is a function of humans being human and will always exist, even if the state outlaws it.
2. Capitalism is a function of the state, requiring trading boards, and cannot exist but by state patronage. If the state outlaws capitlism, it ceases to exist.
3. Free enterprise and capitalism are two different things by their nature.
Do you dispute either proposition?
They are not mutually exclusive within a given region. capitalism does not outlaw free trade, but competes with it. For example, let’s say I have $80k to invest.
I could invest in the stock market, or buy an annuity, both of which are highly regulated and overseen by the SEC
Or I could seek out a private seller of gems and rare gold, and commission a jeweler to craft a ring and necklace, which is free enterprise and requires no oversight from the state. The problem some have with socialist states per se, is that it has often punished free trade, even outlawed it, while capitalist states merely compete with it.