Asking legitimately not as a joke

  • grandkaiser@lemmy.world
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    7 days ago

    within a capitalist society

    Besides slavery, I cannot think of any successful societal system to date that did not prioritize rewarding the productive and/or powerful. Not saying that you’re wrong, just that it’s far from exclusive to capitalism. (The bar for “success” here being a society that exists over many generations)

    • surph_ninja@lemmy.world
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      7 days ago

      Socialism and communism are specifically designed to put the needs of the people first. ‘From each according to their ability, to each according to their needs.’

      • grandkaiser@lemmy.world
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        7 days ago

        Socialism and communism, in theory, are structured to prioritize the needs of the people over profit or power. That slogan captures that ideal beautifully. However, history shows that the implementation of these systems falls short of their ideals. Issues like bureaucratic inefficiency, corruption, or the consolidation of power within ruling parties have led to systems that still reward the powerful or productive, just in different ways. I’d argue that the challenge isn’t the system itself but the difficulty of designing any system that fully aligns with such principles while addressing the complexities of human behavior and societal needs. Capitalism embraces it while socialism and communism pay lip service to ideals while also committing the same sins in practice. My point that it’s not exclusive to capitalism remains.