[extropy-chat] Democracy + Capitalism

[Mike Lorrey]

--- Brett Paatsch <bpaatsch at bigpond.net.au> wrote:

> Natasha wrote:
> 
> > I've been working on an article on the culture of globalization,
> > democracy + capitalism.  From my research, democracy and
> > capitalism lean toward compatibility and could be helpful
> > advocates of human rights.
> >
> > Does anyone think that the democratic interconnected financial
> > relations between nations could be a driving force behind 
> > advancing worldwide human rights?
> 
> 
> I'm sceptical but I'd be interested to hear why you think so and I
> think the area you are choosing to explore has merit. 
> 
> If you write an essay on this I will read it and give you some
> feedback on or offlist as you prefer, you can then take that
> feedback or leave it as you prefer. 
> 
> When capitalism and democracy don't map to the same geographical
> spaces I think capitalism can hurt human rights as human rights are
> not equivalent in different locations and people are not competing on
> an even footing. 

I generally agree with you, though I think insisting on human rights
before capital is cart before horse. Societies practice the rights and
morality they can afford. A homeless and penniless man has no means of
exercising a full right to property. Democracy has historically
depended upon an educated and skilled middle class of substantial
proportion to the greater society in order to function stably. This can
only occur through free markets and capitalism. You cannot legislate
wealth.

The nations which currently are enjoying the industrialization brought
by globalisation will find their children rewriting their constitutions
in the near future. When arrested individuals around the world insist
on being read their rights because they saw it on re-runs of Starsky
and Hutch, you know something interesting is starting.


Mike Lorrey
Vice-Chair, 2nd District, Libertarian Party of NH
"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom.
It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves."
                                      -William Pitt (1759-1806) 
Blog: http://intlib.blogspot.com


		
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