this post was submitted on 29 Dec 2025
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Please define pure capitalism
Argentina under Milei. AEL: Actually Existing Capitalism.
it's regular capitalism but without pesky things like "environmental laws" and "human rights"
Letting the free hand of the market do its thing unfettered by government regulations.
There's no capitalism without government, because without a military and police force the rich can't enforce their own profitability
Is this just anarcho capitalism?
Let's examine laissez-faire capitslism on Lemmy. Trivially, how did the "invisible hand" become the "free hand"? That feels like a mix of "invisible hand" and "free market".
How does such a system overcome "might makes right"? Adam Smith mentions the natural monopoly of kelp farms in Scotland. Who keeps the market free when I can use force to take over such a natural monpoly?
Thereby, I should be able to expand my holdings through force and regulate commerce on my land sort of like... a state? This corresponds with Nozick's minimal state responsible for a monopoly on violence. Is such a state required for your unfettered system?
The entire system is property and contact law that underpins capitalism is a government regulation. You talk like "the Free Hand" is an interventionist god, but it's not actually real, and capitalism only exists because the government enforces it
That's a fast trip to feudalism.
Guess what, buddy?
free market means consumers are free to choose where to buy from, it absolutely requires government regulations.
It’s like you took The Road to Serfdom as gospel at 17 and then turned your brain off ever since. Just a babe in the wood.
In my dreams there are no woods just businesses as far as the eye can see all selling you your greatest dreams.
Like Times Square but everywhere.
That's a good bit
The problem is that you still think those are realizable dreams when they’re not. You may as well dream of owning a flying unicorn.
If the government wasn’t tying the hands of corporations through regulations and if there was enough consumer demand they definitely would be selling flying unicorns.
You’re already in fantasy land, so sure, why not. Also the flying unicorns fart rainbows.
Using government issued currency? Is it still capitalism then?
So you're OK with corporations having the power over your life instead? Just allow them to pollute your drinking water or allow them to put whatever they want in your food? You want to try those things?
I wish people would just think this though a bit.
Do you think corporations want to kill their customers?
No they want them to be rich, happy and healthy so they keep coming back and spending more money.
Ever heard of Johnson & Johnson? Nestle? Norfolk Southern? Coca-Cola? United Health Care?
Over profit? Yes. Because that's what they have historically done. Just look at the climate and wars.
Every single capitalism supporter just convinces me more and more that free market economists are genuinely just con artists that want to feel like what they do is a science instead of a scam lmao
It’s like cigarette companies never existed. Babe in the wood.
You may not be a parody account but you may as well be.
The problem is for each company that thinks of long term, you have 10 companies that only thinks of short term.
Corporations want one thing, profits.
If you can make profit by enslaving people, cutting corners with health and safety standards, and polluting the environment, they will. If they don't, they'll get "out competed" by the companies that do and drive the "inefficient" companies out of business. Then we get monopolization which we can't do anything about because that's regulation.
See there's the problem right there. They don't need customers to be any of those things to suck every last cent out of them. Corporations would love nothing more than becoming a monopoly on human essentials like food, water, housing, etc... because people will go to great lengths to afford food whether they like it or not.