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Ryan Provost's List: The Moral Basis for Capitalism
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Introduction
As the United States braces for yet another presidential election, the fundamental cause of America's historical prosperity, free market capitalism, is once again under attack by its detractors. Those opposed to a free-market economy consisting of privately owned and managed firms cite the present inequalities within American society as evidence of capitalism's failure. A modern society, they claim, possesses a fundamental responsibility to care for the well being of all, and capitalism's emphasis on the profit motive leaves many members of society wanting. The arguments against capitalism are manifestly moral; they state a moral position-that equality among human beings is the good for which all societies must strive-and measure capitalism against this moral yardstick. Free markets fail to achieve equality among men; therefore, capitalism is an immoral system.<BR><BR>Proponents of capitalism point to the unprecedented wealth it has created as justification for the system; claiming that while capitalism does lead to some inequality between the social strata, it nevertheless allows a larger percentage of society to enjoy a higher degree of prosperity than under any other socioeconomic system yet devised. While this argument is demonstrably true, it does not address the moral question at all; instead, it relies solely upon the utilitarian appeal of the greatest good for the greatest number. Proponents of capitalism have essentially surrendered the moral ground. The purpose of this research is to reclaim the moral ground in defense of capitalism.
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Oct 07, 12
Levy, Neil. "Cognitive Scientific Challenges To Morality." Philosophical Psychology 19.5 (2006): 567-587. Academic Search Premier. Web. 7 Oct. 2012.
I discovered this source through an online journal article search for the term "morality." While it does not deal directly with capitalism, it nevertheless defines morality within a scientific framework, and identifies certain challenges to morality as an objective structure. I will be focusing on the author's rebuttals which assert that cognitive science does not preclude the condition of an inherently moral action. -
Sep 16, 12
Zingales, Luigi. When business and government are bedfellows. Prospero, The Economist. Weblog. 23 Aug. 2012. 15 Sep. 2012.
A very insightful blog post from an expert on the problems that arise when business and government become intertwined. The author is Luigi Zingales, an economist from the University of Chicago. The article is decidedly pro-capitalist in principle, but it derides the intertwining of markets and government, which leads to a very non-capitalistic set of conditions. It is, unfortunately, these conditions of instability that most Americans confuse with pure capitalism, and I intend to use this article as a means to prove that these "crony capitalists" are not capitalists at all. -
Sep 16, 12
What is Morality? The Philosophical and Theological Foundations of Moral Debate 2-23-07
TheFederalistSociety. What is Morality? The Philosophical and Theological Foundations of Moral Debate. Online Video. 21 Apr 2011. 15 Sep 2012.
This is an excellent if lengthy forum discussing the particulars of morality within a legal framework. It is enormously important to my research. The audience is comprised chiefly of law students, and the speakers are all law professor or philosophers. The forum is held by the Federalist Society. In it, two of the speakers Randy Barnett and Robert Barnes, offer excellent descriptions of morality as a private and public institution, contrasting the two forms. -
Oct 07, 12
Brooks, David. "The Capitalism Debate." The New York Times 17 July 2012: A25. Print. 8 Sep. 2012.
This editorial by David Brooks was found through a Google search on capitalism. While not terribly useful as a means of proving capitalism is a moral system, it does provide a number of arguments used by the general public against capitalism is general. I will use it as counter-point to my overall argument, and attempt to refute the anti-capitalist claims from a moral position. -
Sep 09, 12
Wehner, Peter and Arthur C. Brooks. Wealth & Justice: The Morality of Democratic Capitalism. Washington, D.C.: American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, 2011. Google Book Search. Web. 8 Sep. 2012.
This book was discovered through a Google search of eBooks. It deals almost entirely with my topic, and I will make extensive use of it in my research. The chapter on the nature of humanity with respect to capitalism will be of particular use. -
Oct 21, 12
De Tocqueville, Alexis. Democracy in America. New York, NY: Literary Classics of the United States, 2004. Google Books. Web. 18 Oct. 2012.
This book is a classic of American history, though it was written by a Frenchman. It details the observations of Alexis de Tocqueville as he toured the United States, offering a European perspective on the burgeoning nation. There are many passages and sections within that deal directly with capitalism, the basis of a just and moral society, and I intend to use it liberally in my research paper. -
Conclusion
There is a moral basis for capitalism, but one must first understand morality in the proper context before the term is applied to capitalism. This research will show that morality can be defined objectively in secular terminology; that morality is, in fact, that which is proper to human life. Unique within the animal kingdom, human beings must choose right actions. For other animals, life is automatic and without choice—a fish may not act contrary to its nature and choose to breathe air—but for human beings, life must be lived deliberately through volitional choice. The act of choosing the good is a moral act. This research will show that capitalism is the only socioeconomic model yet devised that enables human beings to live and act morally within the context of a larger society; that capitalism is entirely compatible with human nature and the only framework in which human beings may genuinely live in freedom.
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