The Superiority Of Capitalism Essay, Research Paper
Being reared in the typical capitalist community o the United States, it is much easier for people to relate to the thoughts of Adam Smith. This is not to say that everyone disagrees with the ideas of pure Communism, but like the old adage says, “Communism looks good on paper, but in practice, it is completely ineffective.”
Historically, this form of government does not tend to succeed because of many factors. Some of these include basic economic differences, individualism, and technology and how it advances or serves as a detriment to the state. Smith takes a Western approach in his thought processes. He states in so many words that workers are continually looking for the best job and the best wage. Marx believes that a wage-labor war will break down society and cause a downfall of the economic structure.
The Capitalist belief is that each individual is continually exerting himself to find the most advantageous employment for whatever capital he can command (Smith 15). Smith says also that it is human nature for a person to better society while bettering himself. In Adam’s opinion each person has the right to the pursuit of happiness, and that each person has to take it in their own hands to advance within society. Marx disagrees by saying that when a person betters himself, he does not improve but instead endangers society.
During this period in history, breakthroughs in technology created fast and more efficient ways to do the old jobs, which allowed society to grow and become more advanced. In the Communist Manifesto, Marx says, that when the bourgeoisie upgrade their technology they in turn create fewer jobs. Marx says that jobs take fewer workers when the bourgeoisie upgrade their technology because newer machines can do more work and allow for fewer people to do the same task. He goes on to say that all new technology becomes obsolete before it can be ossified, or used to it fullest extent. Smith in return says that new technology creates new jobs by expanding the limits of manufacturing and science.
This idea of Marx s is simply not true. With this new technology people can do things that they never could or even imagine before and in turn creating new jobs and as a result, our modern society was created.
Some examples that Smith gives as new jobs are the philosophers or men of speculation. These men do nothing but observe and are capable of combining distant and dissimilar objects. These men invent new things that in turn make more and more jobs; in modern terms these men are scientists. In this area, Smith s ideas are correct because of that new technology, the limits of society and the world of science were broken.
A main thesis of communism is the attempt to make everyone equal, and prohibiting anyone from having an unfair advantage over others, in an ethical way. The term ethical and economics don t work together. They are almost oxymoronic in the sense that in order for one to succeed on an economic level, ethics are usually never involved. The standards and principles of capitalism are truly ethical and fair. One is reminded of the Darwinian theory of evolution that only the strong survive. Those who do not provide for themselves will be left to “die” in society. The economic society that derived directly from Adam Smiths ideas are truly fair and equal on all levels. Therefore, in this area also, Smiths ideas are the more realistic and true.