Skip to main content

Worth Quoting

There are but three social arrangements which can replace Capitalism: Slavery, Socialism, and Property.

                                                                                                --Hilaire Belloc
                                                                                               The Servile State
Labels:

Comments

Nina Cornelsen said…
Property is a social arrangement? That's a new concept to me.
December 2, 2012 at 9:01 PM
Scot said…
He's talking about a socio-economic paradigm. Property for Belloc and other Distributists means productive property that many people own either privately, e.g. you own your own writing business/shop or farm or auto garage, etc. or you band together with others becoming employee-owners of a medical clinic, school, factory, etc.
December 3, 2012 at 4:41 PM
Nina Cornelsen said…
...as opposed to socialism, in which the state owns everything, and slavery, in which some humans are owned by others. I think I understand. The "property" system sounds similar in concept to an Israeli moshav, which is distinct from capitalism in that, while property is individually owned, the people conduct business together for the collective good of the community.

What's not clear is whether "property" is really entirely distinct from capitalism. Doesn't it play a role within the capitalistic system? Both of your examples exist in our capitalistic society. Or is the author arguing that American "capitalism" is tainted by other socioeconomic paradigms?

I may be totally off base. I'm constructing all these ideas from one quote and a two-sentence summary. /-:
December 5, 2012 at 12:16 PM
Scot said…
No sweat, Nina. Distributism is different from Capitalism in that it (one, is a Catholic economic system) says that most or all of the people in society should be owners of productive property, not just the 1% of capitalists. Property as it is now, is mostly in the hands of the super-rich.
December 5, 2012 at 4:42 PM
Nina Cornelsen said…
I see. Is the basic argument that people tend to take better care of the things they own?
December 16, 2012 at 12:09 AM
Scot said…
No. The basic argument is wealth accumulates with those who have property. If productive property was much more widely dispersed through a society, more people could create their own job security as well as have access to wealth.
December 16, 2012 at 9:15 PM
Nina Cornelsen said…
I'll think about that.
December 19, 2012 at 10:01 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Good reads of 2009

I haven't made a list like this in a while, and I believe I discussed most of these on the blog as I finished them, but I thought I'd make a handy short-hand list for you and me. These are only in the order I read them and do not indicate any preference. The Open Door * Frederica Mathewes-Green The Children of Hurin * J.R.R. Tolkien The Omnivore's Dilemma * Michael Pollan Agrarianism and the Good Society: Land, Culture, Conflict, and Hope * Eric T. Freyfogle Wonderful Fool * Shusaku Endo Up the Rouge: Paddling Detroit's Hidden River * Joel Thurtell and Patricia Beck Johnny Cash and the Great American Contradiction: Christianity and the Battle for the Soul of a Nation * Rodney Clapp (I started the following in December, but I haven't finished them--so far they are excellent: Love and Hate in Jamestown * David A. Price and The Picture of Dorian Gray * Oscar Wilde) Try one of these--let me know.
6 comments
Read more

Mystery Meat indeed!

During my grocery shopping today I was asked to pick up some hot dogs for some meal or other. Now I am not an aficianado of the 'ot dog, but will usually have a corn dog or BBQed version of one or two during the summer. If my children like them, so be it. The trouble came when trying to find a package that didn't arrive from a chemistry lab. Nitrates and nitrites, sugars (including HFCS), the preservative sodium benzoate, and other fun substances littered every package I picked up. Even Hebrew National which "Answers to a Higher Standard" was doped. Apparently Kosher doesn't mean it can't be injected with a chemical cocktail. So-called "Natural Casings" were prominently displayed to catch my eye. As if sheep or pig intestine somehow offsets Agricorps tinkering. I ended up buying the brand "sold at Tiger Stadium" not because it was chemical-free, Hell no! It was merely the brand with the least additives. Why does a hot dog need su...
3 comments
Read more