The reason I said capitalism isn’t mere materialism (as Marxists think of everything it seems) is because it’s based on a social ethical standard and standards are non material. The standard is liberty (aka individual rights) Liberty is freedom from compulsion… ie the full allowance of human volition in ALL aspects of a body’s life; from the production of values to the exchange of values. Liberty is the universal banning of force in all interpersonal relationships. A capitalist economy is forceless, and because of that, the most democratic society in history. Producers are obligated to provide values to their customers and the customers determine what values are. Producers (and we are all producers) are servants, not lords and masters. They determine nothing by whim. But by knowing and anticipating what we want. No board of citizens, no voting workers could possibly do what individuals do without compulsion.
Mark Pellegrino
