Reframing our Debates about Capitalism

Scene from Frank Capra’s 1936 film “Mr. Deeds Goes to Town”

There is a flaw in the reasoning behind our infernal, never-ending, society-splitting debate concerning socialism vs. capitalism, and I want to point it out.

To start with, imagine the lives of our hunter-gatherer ancestors.

(Notice I say “our” with confidence because, even though I don’t know who you are or where you were raised or what you look like, I do know that you, like all of us humans, are descended from one or more tribes of hunter-gatherers.)

Our ancestors foraged off the land. They did not accumulate more material goods than they needed, or more than they could wear on their backs or carry with them. But in general, they:

• Had developed/discovered a sustainable way of life;
• Managed to pass that way of life on from one generation to another;
• Provided some sort of meaningful work for everyone;
• Provided food and water and clothing and shelter to everyone;
• Took care of each other, to the best of their abilities, when they became sick or frail.

Would you call their society an early example of socialism? I don’t think so. Because what was their alternative? After a successful hunt, were they going to let half the tribe starve while half of the meat spoiled? When they…