Most economists believe capitalism is a compromise with selfish human nature. As Adam Smith put it, "It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker, that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest." Capitalism works better than socialism, according to this thinking, only because we are not kind and generous enough to make socialism work. If we were saints, we would be socialists.In Why Not Capitalism?, Jason Brennan attacks this widely held belief, arguing that capitalism would remain the best system even if we were morally perfect. Even in an ideal world, private property and free markets would be the best way to promote mutual cooperation, social justice, harmony, and prosperity. Socialists seek to capture the moral high ground by showing that ideal socialism is morally superior to realistic capitalism. But, Brennan responds, ideal capitalism is superior to ideal socialism, and so capitalism beats socialism at every level. Clearly, engagingly, and at times provocatively written, Why Not Capitalism? will cause readers of all political persuasions to re-evaluate where they stand vis-à-vis economic priorities and systems—as they exist now and as they might be improved in the future.
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Chapter One Deep Down, Everyone’s a Socialist … and Wrong; Chapter Two The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Argument for Capitalism: A Parody; Chapter Three Human Nature and Justice; Chapter Four Why Utopia Is Capitalist;
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"Are you interested in capitalism as a path to your personal utopia? This stirring moral defense of a free society is the place to start."—Tyler Cowen, George Mason University"In forceful strokes, Jason Brennan attacks the work of the late G.A. Cohen's defense of socialism and neatly shows why and how it is not the best of all systems even in the best of all possible worlds, let alone the highly imperfect world in which we live. His combination of accessible prose with technical precision is a model of good writing on political theory that should enable this book to reach the wider audience it deserves."—Richard Epstein, New York University School of Law
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Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9780415732970
Publisert
2014-06-11
Utgiver
Vendor
Routledge
Vekt
220 gr
Høyde
198 mm
Bredde
129 mm
Aldersnivå
U, G, 05, 01
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Heftet
Antall sider
114

Forfatter

Biographical note

Jason Brennan is Assistant Professor of Strategy, Economics, Ethics, and Public Policy at Georgetown University. He is the author of Compulsory Voting: For and Against, with Lisa Hill, Libertarianism: What Everyone Needs to Know, The Ethics of Voting, and A Brief History of Liberty, with David Schmidtz.