Economics #2

First of all, how would having the government control the wealth and distribute the wealth equally actually teach the people?  That's not how people learn lessons.

I think there are two large issues with socialism.
First of all, is does not completely eradicate class distinctions or separation between peoples.  This is because there has to be somebody in charge of distributing the wealth and who has ALL the power.  This automatically creates a power position and thus inequality among the people.  Also, people will be competing in some way to attain this position.  Furthermore, absolute power corrupts absolutely.  Whether it is one person or a group of people who are in the government, the power that they have combined with the innate sinful nature of mankind equals a power struggle or some sort of falsehood to attain more power.  Thus socialism can ultimately be contradictory to what it sets out to do.

Secondly, it takes away any self-motivation or healthy sense of competition which drives a healthy economy.  No man focused on only earthly/natural items will feel motivated by anything other than self-gain.  Whether it is the gain of wealth or just making themselves feel good, they will typically do something for themselves.  It can be bad, the only way socialists view it, but it can also be a great way to motivate productivity and advancement.  This is something that an economic system has to harness and not dismiss.

The ultimate issue with socialism is pretty simple.  The actually concept and idea is wonderful; it sounds fantastic.  It is the actual application of it and when innately sinful men enter the equation, when it becomes corrupt and ineffective.

Economics #1

The idea that he spoke about that, I must say, frustrated me the most, is the comment about being "smart enough" to figure out an economic system that works perfectly.  What Moore completely disregards in this comment is that humans are innately evil.  He's looking at mankind as evolutionary beings, who have got to have lived long enough to evolve to a point of intelligence that could create such an economic system.  This of course is completely wrong.  Humans make the same stupid mistakes day after day, year after year, century after century.  Yes, perhaps for example, humanity has grown smart enough to create windows, but that doesn't mean that they are smart enough to never forget that the sliding door is closed and not run into it!  No matter how advanced our science or technology become that is not a sign that humans must be evolving to a point of higher consciousness or intelligence that can create a perfect system.  Human theories can be great, but human application gets very messy, very quickly.

Also, he is disregarding the basic instinct in man to compete and survive.  No entire society, let alone world, is going to be made up of people who have no desire to compete or survive.  There will always be someone who wants more or who wants what their neighbor has, or who even wants the power the leaders of the society have.    Thus any economic system must understand and adjust to this truth, not just believe that it doesn't exist.