CAPITALISM AND SOCIALISM: WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?

The title of this entry is deeply ironic. As we may all know, both concepts – capitalism and socialism – are definitely very poorly defined, and should we want to stick to the most common vague definitions, we must acknowledge that, like certain chemical elements, the two cannot possibly exist in real life.

Pure capitalism, whatever it is, means the absence of any government regulation, and, should it be allowed, immediately turns into a Hobbesian war of all against all. It is to avoid such war that the citizens of a covenanted commonwealth invite “sovereign regulation,” in the first place.

Pure socialism, whatever it means, is the antipode of communism. Communism abolishes sovereign power, whereas socialism maximizes it.

Ironically, this is the first difference between capitalism and socialism, which incredibly puts capitalism in the same boat with communism. Like communism, capitalism sees state power as its enemy, whereas socialism sees the state as its necessary foundation.

Enough of purity, though. Let us get practical. Those who acknowledge the existence of God and the devil, realize that communism is not of this world. The devil, for as long as he exists, will not allow communism in his earthly domain. So much for communism.

Which leaves us with just two antipodes, capitalism and socialism, pitched against each other by their divergent attitudes to state power. The two extremes in their pristine theoretical purity.

But not in reality! There, in real life, socialism transforms into totalitarianism, and the latter has the tendency to self-destruct. Too much state power, instead of enforcing equality, creates a new type of inequality, negates the socialist Raison D’Être, and the rest is history.

Real-life socialism needs individual freedom to survive. State power must be curbed, in order to make state power viable. Hence, the socialist train departs from its extremal terminal, and with a wink and a nod starts rolling in the direction of the other extreme, or rather toward the middle point.

Meanwhile, the capitalist train must recognize the presence and authority of the government dispatcher. It cannot be allowed to become a runaway train, because it will surely crash into the Hobbesian caveat: too much freedom means war of all against all. Free people enter covenants curbing their freedom, in order to protect the admittedly limited freedoms which  the State will allow them to keep under the covenant known as the State Constitution.

And so, the capitalist train departs from its own extremal terminal, and with a pained grimace starts rolling in the direction of the other extreme, or rather toward the middle point…

Capitalism and socialism: what’s the difference? Don’t tell me they are antipodes, because in real life they cannot be chained to their extremal terminals. Don’t tell me that they are like pornography and art: you will be able to tell them apart when you see them. Are you sure?

I suggest that there may come a time when the two trains rolling toward each other may reach certain points of the track, close to the middle point, when only an expert can tell the difference, but do not trust that expert’s opinion, because already today the terms capitalism and socialism are mostly used as vulgar pseudo-terms, but otherwise are too loosely defined to make a competent judgment.