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pbhjpbhjyesterday at 12:02 PM2 repliesview on HN

The schtick for Capitalism is that it is supposed to push all companies to the top of optimal resource production, the place you call the bottom.

Was it always the case that Western Capitalism was about optimising profits for an over-class, the optimising of resources was always just propaganda, or did it once have ethics?


Replies

graemepyesterday at 3:09 PM

> Was it always the case that Western Capitalism was about optimising profits for an over-class, the optimising of resources was always just propaganda, or did it once have ethics?

Adam Smith wrote a whole book about ethics.

I actually think the ethical corruption has been very recent and driven by multiple factors, but the most important is the myth that people are rich because they deserve to be, and if they are poor it is because they are stupid or lazy. The rich therefore tend to feel far less noblesse oblige.

Joel_Mckayyesterday at 12:27 PM

Brands shifted away from garnering customer goodwill, and prioritized shareholder value by siphoning intangible assets accrued over decades of prior works.

There was little utility in judging if it was ethical, but merely to profit by the shortsighted stewards. =3