On this week's episode Prof. Wolff provides updates on Obamacare scandal, bank errors threaten depositors, public pension looting, subsidizing religion. Major discussion of old vs new meanings of capitalism as an economic system.
On this week's episode Prof. Wolff provides updates on Obamacare scandal, bank errors threaten depositors, public pension looting, subsidizing religion. Major discussion of old vs new meanings of capitalism as an economic system.
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When I talk about “moral prestige and power”, I mean the sort of influence a leader like Martin Luther King, or Karl Marx may have, even if they do not have the police or state power to back them up. With an inventor, this may mean s/he gets a position where they have a lot of influence over what gets invented, and how inventions are to be used. Like becoming the head of a scientific research institute, or even something much less, such as getting a job in such an institute, or being able to influence the news media or other people in power.
The rise of elites in a society is inevitable, and can cause serious problems. It is inevitable because, as you say, people are different in their capabilities. And people will take advantage of such superiorities to get something extra for themselves. A socialist society has to be set up in such a way that people realize that they have more to gain by working for the common good than they would just pursuing their own selfish interests. We have to design and build that kind of society. This complex problem has no easy solutions, but solving it has to be our biggest ideal and goal.
Democracy. There are basically two kinds of democracy: direct and indirect. Direct democracy is where people get together and they all discuss and vote on issues. Their decisions are the law. In indirect democracy, people elect leaders who are then responsible for making the laws, either by voting on them or by decree (if they have been given that power). In a democracy it is presumed that every person or group of people have limits on what kinds of laws they are allowed to establish. These limits are frequently laid out in a Constitution. It is vitally necessary that people have easy access to the facts and knowledge they need to make good decisions. Freedom of speech and press are a big part of that, but they too can be manipulated.
Many people, myself included, believe that direct democracy will work only in small organizations. This is because, in a modern society, there are so many different decisions to be made that specific individuals or groups with special expertise have to be given the responsibility for specific kinds of decisions. Most people do not have the time or knowledge and experience to make intelligent decisions about everything that comes up. An expert in one area may know very little about other things. Each person has their own area of responsibility, and they are accountable to the society as a whole. It is understood that, in making decisions, people will consult with each other to pool their knowledge, experience and skills. One big problem with democracy is that people are easily manipulated. Look at what happened after 9/11. The only answer to that that I know of is to educate people and make sure that the facts/knowledge they need is easily available.
As for the rise of elites, this is inevitable since people are NOT equal in their knowledge, experience, interests, or even their native abilities. Plus, our society is so complex that a person cannot become knowledgeable in most areas. Experts are an essential part of our lives, whether they are doctors, car mechanics, or someone who has a reputation for giving good advice in solving personal problems.. The important thing is that experts/elites should serve the society, and not become a separate group that exploits everyone else. Experts can have some privileges, to encourage people to become experts (becoming an expert takes a lot of work!), to enable them to do their work better (e.g. providing the technical means to do their jobs, including education and professional organizations), and to show our appreciation for their contributions to society.
Thanx for your comments and questions, and I hope we can continue and expand discussions like these. I raised hell with Prof. Wolff to get a comment system going on the internet, and he finally did. There is still far too little discussion activity, though. I recently checked the comments on one article by Prof. Wolff, which got two comments on his website, but hot 55 comments when it was published on truthout.org. I consider comments to be a good measure of how much interest there is in an article.