Quote Originally Posted by ArchonAlarion View Post
@Loki : The problem remains: How do you reliably sort those who are well meaning from those who aren't? Who decides who is well meaning? Who decides who decides who is well meaning? The capitalist answer is that there is no reliable way, and even if there were, the well meaning people still could not adequately provide good and services through a monopoly because of lack of information about the complexity of the economy. Instead, firms should peacefully compete to provide goods and services, and then their success can be measured by comparison. Further, the capitalist would argue that monolithic power structures on average attract people who are not well meaning.
I don't know if I understand what you're saying. Why is it important to define "well meaning" and sort those who fit the standard from those who do not? Do you mean in a society that has no laws or power of authority? I mean in most societies laws that are basically external standards perform this function. Some of those who are possibly not "well meaning" may reveal themselves by breaking a law and are thus "sorted" out of the general population where they can't do further harm. If a society was actually in the business of actually trying to sort everyone as "well meaning" or not then it would be oppression for everyone.

I guess my thought about the economy is, should it continue in its unbridled ways even if it is becoming increasingly impractical? Or would it be better for individuals in a finite & closed space to realize eventually the fire that feeds on oxygen is going to run out of oxygen and then no one will be able to breathe? I mean if the economy is its own animal that arose out of the trading between individual entities and their individual desires, but that seems to carry on as though there aren't any individuals (as though for itself, when it doesn't even have a self), could it be possible that it (if left unchecked) is wreaking havoc on the very things that the individuals would or perhaps should hold dear?