Freedom and slavery: the birth of capitalism

[@jcrass2361]

This was fucking great. We are so blinded by our elites and corporations, especially here in America. Thank you for your insightful diatribe.

[@carlnxumalo3864]

It's easy to be blind when you are born in a capitalist environment. You don't know different

[@PSYxTV]

Thinking about history dialectally is so important and in the US we dont even learn about events like the peasant revolt of the 14th century and forget anything about Marx or his life other then Stalins Gulags.

[@StephenSchleis]

Wish there was a transcript of this, I want to send it to my CTO step uncle because he made me read Sapiens when I told him in a communist.

[@walruscoocoocachu26]

Check out Marxist.com . under the History or Economics sections you should be able to find something very similar.

[@karlthemarxist6806]

also www.marxists.org

[@karlthemarxist6806]

With respect to your uncle, it seems that he believes in a hard-wired "human nature" which by a pro-capitalist definition is characterised by greed, avarice etc and that communism is anathema to so-called human nature. Yet, he probably believes in free will while at the same time believing that human behaviour is determined by "human nature".

[@moshood55]

Sapiens is funny cause he mentions communism like three times and all he says it "it failed, no one likes it or wants to try that again" with no supporting evidence or anything

[@nemoest0]

Josh! By far my favourite IMT educator (sorry Alan Woods)

[@CEA9234]

One suggestion for a bit of improvement. Showing some visual diagrams where it makes sense can really help drive the points home. Perhaps a edit of this version. But content is solid even as it stands.

[@revolutionarycommunists]

Thanks for your feedback! We are looking to incorporate more visual aids, images and clips into our videos in the future. Glad you enjoyed the talk! Jack

[@CrowdPleeza]

Adam Smith on slavery: "Smith believed that the best economy was one in which each individuals act freely with no government interference. The idea was that having complete freedom created competition, which would then keep prices down while product quality remained high. Slavery created an inefficient market in that slave owners were forced to purchase and maintain slaves year after year since slaves had a very high mortality rate. The cost of purchasing slaves was then passed on to the common consumer. This cost could be avoided by switching to a wage-labor economy and providing decent working conditions for blacks. For example, it would be cheaper to pay blacks a low wage and not provide them with food, housing, or clothing than to continually buy new slaves and provide for them." www.umich.edu/%7Eece/student_projects/slavery2/adamsmith.html

[@bigalsaidso]

KLJF Why do you think that exchanging your time and labor for money is anything akin to slavery? You have the choice to leave and find other work or even borrow capital to start a business and employ others, giving them money to save for their own purposes. Tell me, why is exchanging your labor for pay wrong but taxing others’ labor to pay for your standard of living is right?

[@joshuabarlow9048]

@KLJF spoken as a person who has never risked everything to work for no pay for a year 80 hrs a week with no guarantee that you won't get nothing in the end.... Why would a person do that unless they may make it big... Not gonna do it to just make the same as anyone who just punches a clock with no risk.

[@joshuabarlow9048]

@KLJF childish is the belief that people work because they want too not that they need too. Childish is the ignoring of the physical restrictions that exist in our world, such as not having replicators too conjure goods out of the ether. Every good, every improvement, every grain of food is the product of people doing something with the limited natural resources available in the world. All attempts at to each according to their need from each according to their ability has resulted in Mass starvation and poverty, ignoring that is the comfort of childish beliefs subsidized by the abundance created by Capitol and the property rights that enable the building of it.

[@wypminsta1297]

that's a good rebuttal

[@crzune]

@@bigalsaidso Because capitalism isn't fit for the modern economy, with automation drastically making workers redundant. Much more graduates are doing minimum wage jobs despite having a degree and more technically skilled workers means the driving down of wages and we still have to deal with riding living costs. Capitalism isn't built for the 4th industrial revolution it was built for everything up to the 3rd.

[@michaelhowells7790]

Fabulous and very interesting,as ever Josh.

[@yungyahweh]

Fantastic stuff man! If anyone else likes this, you guys should listen to Tides of History. Very good podcast that goes in depth into these thing. Also, Matt Christman is also great regarding these topics. His show Hell on Earth is very good, which is about the 30 years war and capitalism’s rise.

[@michaelmappin1830]

Thank you so much for posting this. ❤❤❤❤❤ and hello from Canada!

[@benjaminkeyrose4294]

This was really interesting 👍

[@dialecticalveganegoist1721]

Fascinating lecture

[@psr4wolfPAC]

What is the generic Bourgeoisie “statement” that Josh refers to at the very beginning? (Just out of curiosity)

[@EricPham-gr8pg]

Yes that is true but if we are ethical then no slavery nor exploited of other people. All system only work if the people are ethical and had education and are not robotic trained in hatred or prejudice

[@kippgoeden]

✊

[@Overthrowthe1Percent]

Josh 😍😍😍😍😍

[@sovietunionjack1505]

Our youth are truly lost.

[@rarex50484]

Socialist Appeal Sept 1, 2022 16.4K

[@pablofre]

You do know that the planned economy you propose as the solution to capitalism was already tried for 80 years in multiple countries and it ended with a rimbombante failure, right?

[@suppaduppa]

There is no such thing as perfect system. The issue is human nature and the greed/corruption of some agents in that system that corrupt the intend of said system. We in the west dont have pure capitalism. There is cronyism. The government intervenes in the market, favoring some businesses over others. This is why capitalism doesnt work as intended. In socialism something similar happens. A small group of elites grab all the power and use it to suppress everyone else. Each system creates slaves because of HUMAN NATURE. Humans are shitty, not all, but quite a sizable amount.

[@RMGWOO]

I'm new to this. Can someone answer me a question. Would the technology used to give this presentation have existed without capitalism?

[@zaneshark]

Yes. Capitalism has nothing whatsoever to do with technological development. Technological developments have been an ongoing process over a period of thousands of years. Capitalism is not responsible for innovation.

[@RMGWOO]

@@zaneshark thats good to hear. Could you show me some examples?

[@zaneshark]

@@RMGWOO That would require a lengthy discourse on the subject. The invention of language and writing, the invention of the simple wheel, the discovery of fire, the discovery of metal ores and the development of metallurgy, the development of agricultural, the invention of the plow, the discovery of the modern germ theory and such things as penicillin, the invention of the first radio, etc., etc., the technology that exists today is the culmination of centuries of long incremental advancements in a wide variety of scientific disciplines. Capitalism is a political system and has little at all to do with the economy. The very word, CAPITALISM, describes a particular social order. What is the center of power within this social order? The nucleus of power within a capitalist society is CAPITAL.

[@RMGWOO]

@@zaneshark oh. I get you. The thing is that someone might come along and invent 'the computer' but what about all the unglamorous pieces of machinery and the parts which construct those machinery pieces? Who would invent all of that stuff out of pure passion, and how would they produce the millions of them needed to result in businesses that can sell you the phone you're using?

[@gcod3d161]

@@RMGWOO i think there are many people that like solving problems at low cost/ time, there are entire businesses revolved around designing and building custom machines that businesses can use in their shops to increase efficiency, decreases waste, or decrease cost

[@bellorusso]

Excellent