The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #114513   Message #2446605
Posted By: CarolC
21-Sep-08 - 02:06 PM
Thread Name: blame CAPITALISM & jetison it!!
Subject: RE: blame CAPITALISM & jetison it!!
Socialism and Capitalism were not concepts during the time of Lao Tsu. So trying to attribute that meaning to his words is dishonest.

Capitalism turns everyone into consumers (we have to buy buy buy!!! to keep the market growing because you can't keep capitalist systems going without growth), and when we become consumers, we don't do anything for ourselves, and we either forget how or we never bother to learn.

Socialism, on the other hand, is completely neutral in its effect on whether or not people will learn to do for themselves.