The Successes of Capitalism

[DaShi]

Many moons ago, I made a thread asking to identify areas where capitalism failed. It was interesting but lacking. So I decided to take a look at it from the other angle. Rather than dwell on where it was ineffective, let's look at where capitalism shone. So let's hear some areas where capitalism was the best choice or even a good choice (this is not a thread about where communism could do better).

When you list something, please qualify how it was successful. Also, when. It may have not been successful in the past, but it may have become successful now or vice versa.

[Zkribbler]

Silicon Valley pops to mind, and all that arose out of it.

Most employers require their employees to assign all copyrights to it. However, Stanford University was an exception. Thus, employees who could financially gain from their own inventions, created Silicon Valley and some of the earliest break throughs in computer and information sciences.

[CrONoS]

:
The very fact that I type on a computer that all his part was built and assembled all around the world and sold to me. And this, without any government or central planification telling people how to do it.

AND the computer was enough cheap that even a student, (like me) without any parents help, was able to bought it.

[CrONoS]

Also:

http://ucatlas.ucsc.edu/gdp/gdpmap.html

[Zkribbler]

Originally posted by CrONoS
:
The very fact that I type on a computer that all his part was built and assembled all around the world and sold to me. And this, without any government or central planification telling people how to do it.

Mostly. The first one was designed and built by a former head of the U.S. Census Bureau, who then successfully sold it back to his former agecy.

Early on, Xerox bailed out of computer manufacturing because it calculated that only about six government agencies would need computers, so there wouldn't be much of a market.

[Kidlicious]

Re: The Successes of Capitalism

Originally posted by DaShi
Many moons ago, I made a thread asking to identify areas where capitalism failed. It was interesting but lacking. So I decided to take a look at it from the other angle. Rather than dwell on where it was ineffective, let's look at where capitalism shone. So let's hear some areas where capitalism was the best choice or even a good choice (this is not a thread about where communism could do better).

When you list something, please qualify how it was successful. Also, when. It may have not been successful in the past, but it may have become successful now or vice versa.

The success of capitalism is the creation and pooling of capital and the specialization of labor.

[Zkribbler]

Specialization of labor...

... arose with the invention of agriculture. Once farmers could raise more food than they and their families needed, other folks were freed up to become soldiers, kings, and priests.

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by Zkribbler
... arose with the invention of agriculture. Once farmers could raise more food than they and their families needed, other folks were freed up to become soldiers, kings, and priests.

Yes, but capitalism took that further. And it has created much more wealth.

[Eli]

Just look around you.

[BeBMan]

Capitalism gave every country a capital

[Eli]

Originally posted by BeBro
Capitalism gave every country a capital

[Darius871]

The blessing of communism wouldn't have been possible without capitalism showing up first.

*runs*

[Barnabas]

All countries which arent ****holes are capitalistic countries.

I actually thought the issue of the thread would be small state free market capitalism vs capitalism with an interventionist state that tries to guide the economy in order to achieve a higher level of development.

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by Barnabas
All countries which arent ****holes are capitalistic countries.

I actually thought the issue of the thread would be small state free market capitalism vs capitalism with an interventionist state that tries to guide the economy in order to achieve a higher level of development.

The amazing thing is the amount of wealth that has been created dispite the massive failure of both free market capitalism and intertentionist policies.

[onodera]

Originally posted by Barnabas
All countries which arent ****holes are capitalistic countries.

You actually have to take other countries into account -- those that provide labour and resourses to non-****hole countries.
I doubt sweatshop workers and Niger delta tribes are very satisfied with capitalism.