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TOsteve
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 Posted: 02/04/05 - 15:04 Post subject: Does capitalism promote invention?
Read through the "Water" thread to get up to date on the discussion so far.
(I like both threads and didn't want the topic police shuttin' us down)
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cherylpf
crazy cat lady
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Posted: 02/04/05 - 15:11 Post subject:
| sonnylax wrote: |
But that doesn't make it a hinderance for invention. People invent things so they can make money. |
Inventors invent things to solve a problem. Greedy does things to make money.
Look at the weight loss industry. Problem: the country is overweight. The bigger costlier long term fix: modifying our attitudes and educating the country, changing our cultural tendencies toward overeating and lethargy. The money making quick fixes we get instead: you name everything thighmaster/trimspa/Dr. Phil book related thing that you see advertised/emailed/infomercialed starting around December 31 every year...Granted, as any of the gimmicks will tell you, doing the thigh master, in addition to a well rounded workout routine and eating a reduced calorie diet can help someone lose weight. Its not the solution. But, greed got someone to invent such a thing and exploit it as though it was the solution so that they could make money, not solve the problem. Greed is driven by money alone, and ultimately the quick fixes set the problems back further, IMO.
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sonnylax
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Posted: 02/04/05 - 15:18 Post subject:
| cherylpf wrote: |
Inventors invent things to solve a problem. Greedy does things to make money.
Look at the weight loss industry. Problem: the country is overweight. The bigger costlier long term fix: modifying our attitudes and educating the country, changing our cultural tendencies toward overeating and lethargy. The money making quick fixes we get instead: you name everything thighmaster/trimspa/Dr. Phil book related thing that you see advertised/emailed/infomercialed starting around December 31 every year...Granted, as any of the gimmicks will tell you, doing the thigh master, in addition to a well rounded workout routine and eating a reduced calorie diet can help someone lose weight. Its not the solution. But, greed got someone to invent such a thing and exploit it as though it was the solution so that they could make money, not solve the problem. Greed is driven by money alone, and ultimately the quick fixes set the problems back further, IMO. |
That's a reach Cheryl. Greed may help folks to develop new products (in a capitalistic based economy like we have here in the US), but it doesn't force Consumer John Doe to necessarily buy it. At what point does responsibility for one's self enter into the equation.
P.S. who pays for your long-term fix?
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Gogirlgo
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Posted: 02/04/05 - 15:19 Post subject:
Well, looking at this issue literally, if it did, we'd have to assume that inventions just don't occur in noncapitalist systems. I don't think that's true.
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cherylpf
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Posted: 02/04/05 - 15:22 Post subject:
| sonnylax wrote: |
That's a reach Cheryl. Greed may help folks to develop new products (in a capitalistic based economy like we have here in the US), but it doesn't force Consumer John Doe to necessarily buy it. At what point does responsibility for one's self enter into the equation. |
If its a reach, the fact that there exists a diet "industry" while our country becomes less healthy needs to be explained to me.
| Quote: | | P.S. who pays for your long-term fix? |
Those are both (the two bolded statements) the problem wouldn't you say?
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gretriever
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Posted: 02/04/05 - 15:36 Post subject:
| Gogirlgo wrote: | | Well, looking at this issue literally, if it did, we'd have to assume that inventions just don't occur in noncapitalist systems. I don't think that's true. |
In a capitalist society, or those with some socialist aspects, there can be a (note - not the) motivation for inventions that can benefit individuals in their own lives. In a non-capitalist system, it doesn't seem that there are many inventions that meet that criteria.
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TOsteve
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Posted: 02/04/05 - 15:38 Post subject:
| Gogirlgo wrote: | | Well, looking at this issue literally, if it did, we'd have to assume that inventions just don't occur in noncapitalist systems. I don't think that's true. |
The topic were discussing here is whether a capitalist system promotes or impedes invention. We can make the assumption that invention occurs in the first place because humans like to invent things and will likely occur in any economic system.
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RexRacer
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Posted: 02/07/05 - 11:47 Post subject:
Well, one thing for certain that unfettered capitalism invented was communism, just ask Karl and Friedrich. 
Again, as I stated in the other thread, I think that most people who are inventors do it because it's in their genes--It's how they look at the world and problem solving, not simply a matter of greed. Of course, how things are marketed and/or brought to market may favor a particular inventor in a particular system at a particular time, and to that extent a market economy may help some people get rich from inventions.
Still, alot of inventions came from the Soviet Union, too. Look at Lasik surgery. Twenty years ago it was that wacky laser commie eye-fix looked upon with great skepticism by US physicians. Now a good deal of those same physicians are making serious dough by using this process.
One of my favorites anecdotes about the space race (which I've possibly shared previously here) is that both the US and USSR scientists quickly found out that regular pens couldn't work in space. Hm, they hadn't thought of that. NASA quickly went to work on fixing this problem, teams of scientists were put on the job and with time and abundant resources came up with the now famous 'astronaut pen' that can write anywhere, which is still available for purchase from Airplane Giftshop magazines and in the back of Parade, I do believe.
The Soviets simply gave their Cosmonauts pencils.
Take that as you will.
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BamBam
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Posted: 02/07/05 - 13:37 Post subject:
I think capitalism is great, especially at the beginning of sentences and with proper names.
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copteacher
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Posted: 02/07/05 - 18:28 Post subject:
I think inventions are also great for capitalism
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Pug
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Posted: 02/07/05 - 18:36 Post subject:
| rtpd113 wrote: | | I think inventions are also great for capitalism |
You know, that may be the better point here. Inventions are going to happen in every society, but a capitalistic society advances more from these inventions as they hit the market.
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airehead
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Posted: 02/09/05 - 13:37 Post subject:
Having trouble verbalizing what I want to say....
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