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Debate Info

55
51
Capitalism is good Capitalism isn't good
Debate Score:106
Arguments:77
Total Votes:135
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Argument Ratio

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 Capitalism is good (44)
 
 Capitalism isn't good (26)

Debate Creator

Coldthedog(244) pic



Capitalism is Good

What can I say, I like it. Debate.

Capitalism is good

Side Score: 55
VS.

Capitalism isn't good

Side Score: 51
2 points

So long as it is accompanied by a strong safety net to protect the weak and the poor, then yes, it's the best system we have right now (although not necessarily the best system possible).

Side: Capitalism is good

It keeps countries at peace, yet brings about war. Increases worlds standard of living, yet enslaves. All and all its a mixed bag, but it is the best general economic philosophy we have. In my opinion of course.

Side: Capitalism is good
1 point

Subjectively, I say yea, sure. Capitalism is the only system I've known, and I'm still alive under it, so I guess it can't be that bad.

Side: Capitalism is good
Warjin(1577) Disputed
1 point

Its a double edged sword, for us westerners its pretty good, I like you know no other way so my instinct wants to say yes, but the reality is that more suffer as a result of capitalism and the proof is all over the world.

Side: Capitalism isn't good
DrawFour(2662) Disputed
2 points

I was answer subjectively, as in the only way one can when asked if something is 'good' or 'bad'. Sorry to sound cruel but the issues faced by the world because of capitalism do not affect me. Or if they do, they haven't become bad enough to make me feel like a change is needed. So to answer the question, is capitalism Good? Subjectively, yes, it is to millions of Americans who have little to no cares in the world because of the competitive system it requires.

Side: Capitalism is good
Coldthedog(244) Disputed
-1 points

You know who suffers, the weak. All those idiots who dropped out of school and planed on living on welfare and smoke weed are getting what they diserve. People who worked hard in school and made good choices get what they diserve/ wanted.

Side: Capitalism is good

Overall, I'd say yes. Capitalism makes competition in the market which helps increase technological and product advancement.

The only downfall to capitalism is that it can lead to greed, corruption, injustice, and unfairness among social classes, if not monitored and controlled.

One also has to take into consideration that there will always be the poor and the rich; it is impossible to truly have everyone in society on an equal level.

Side: Capitalism is good
1 point

Read my response, it says what the goverment needs to do to make capitalism a fair system by only doing a few things.

Side: Capitalism is good
1 point

Here's how I think things should work.

1. All children should have equal opportunities.

2. The results of their work should more determined there place in life. People who work hard get the nice jobs. People who struggled but made it through should get a job they could live on. People who flunk out of school because of no effort in school shoun't be givin a life paid with tax payer dollars

3. Compition and work should be the same. Compition always has benefits for society. Two business competing leads to lower prices and/or better quality. When two workers competing for say employe of the month leads to more or better work for the same pay.

Side: Capitalism is good
2 points

Capitalism isn't a fair system. Firstly, 3% of the world's population own 80% of it's wealth. Is it fair that workers in Africa work up to 16 hours per day yet they only make $0.10 per day and then other people such as professional sports players earn $2.00 per second for playing a game? Capitalism looks good to the rich but to the poor it is completely unfair.

Side: Capitalism isn't good
Coldthedog(244) Disputed
0 points

I'm talking about where we live. The system isn't going to work up there thanks to slavery in the past. Most of the world has outlawed slaves but up there they still need to change. They are basically stuck in a cast system right now, but how do you think it will work in more devolved nations.

Side: Capitalism is good
simsim44(6) Disputed
2 points

You started slavery in the past and left them in the state they are currently in. If big American corporations actually had some morals, they would buy the coffee and cocoa beans from the African farmers for more. A company like Starbucks buys in 1kg of coffee for about $1 and sells it for $250, is that a fair and good system to you.

Besides, if we're just talking about America or the Western world, it still doesn't work. You have families such as the Hilton's where they have family members such as Paris who hasn't worked a full day in her life yet she is worth millions. Then you have construction workers who work every single day yet they get minimum wage.

Is that a good system? If you want a fair system, you have to look more left. If you work to the best of your abilities and you take according to your needs, that's an efficient and more fair system rather than having people born into their future where people like Paris Hilton are born into a world where they don't have to work a day in their lives and then other people are born into a world where they have to work all their life but they could only dream of having the riches of one of the Hiltons.

Side: Capitalism isn't good
2 points

Capitalism is amoral.

Side: Capitalism isn't good
1 point

this isn't a "but communism is!" argument, I'm simply saying, no it isn't. Neither are, I suppose in realistic world capitalism is better than communism, socialism, anarchism etc, but that doesn't make it good. The principle maybe, but mankind is not so straight forward as to all conform to one simple principle. hence corruption, as is very common in capitalist powers, which I might remind you isn't a good thing.

I think we should just go back to having emperors like the Romans and just live as they did. So much simpler ;)

Side: Capitalism isn't good
Coldthedog(244) Disputed
1 point

The Romans? Oh ya, those guys who killed, torchered, and crucified so many of their own people that Jesus himself had to come down and wash all sin. And the Roman took no time to become filthy with sin.

Side: Capitalism is good
Jungelson(3959) Disputed
1 point

Nope, we all are sinners in the lords eyes, you forget ;) And yes, those crusaders were much more civilised, decent people xD

Side: Capitalism isn't good
1 point

There is no capitalism, capitalism naturally degrades into corporatism because wealth is power and influence. Corporatism is bad, capitalism is a pipe dream.

Side: Capitalism isn't good
1 point

Capitalism is an economic ideology that collapses upon itself. In the capitalist system, competition supposedly is held sacrosanct. But all capitalistic enterprises seek to destroy the competition thereby fomenting monopoly. For that very reason, it is a flawed ideology. Capitalism moreover goes hand in hand with liberal political philosophy that asserts government's most basic function is the protection of private property and the equalization of formal rights. Capitalism necessarily exacerbates and exploits inequality--those enterprises with more resources will necessarily subsume those with inferior ones. So capitalism butts head first into the liberal position that government is supposed to guarantee certain rights to its human parties. Under the capitalist system, inequality is furthered thus superseding the rights and guarantees provided by the liberal, constitutional position. This the reason America is so fucked up. We have these rights on paper that the government is supposed to guarantee, but private power centers (i.e. business) destroy those rights. When you are employed by a private business, you forfeit all of your constitutional rights. You no longer have the right to free speech, religion, assembly, arms, freedom from incriminating yourself, and property or intellectual contributions. You cease to be a human being in the eyes of your private employer. As soon as your are employed by a private business, you are no longer a human being, but a human RESOURCE to be exploited just like any other material used in production.

Side: Capitalism isn't good
Coldthedog(244) Disputed
1 point

So capitalism doesn't follow the way of Liberals. Sorry, didn't know that everything should be your way.

Side: Capitalism is good
Rotbart(101) Disputed
1 point

Capitalism is actually a liberal idea, but you aren't using the word properly. Adam Smith was a liberal, and he was the father of modern capitalism.

Side: Capitalism isn't good
joshv(35) Disputed
1 point

Capitalism is the best. Competition causes business to grow, which causes the economy to grow and since creating a monopoly is illegal, no one business will gain the upper hand. Plus when you are employed by a private business, you don't forfeit all your rights because no one is forcing you to work for them. If you don't like the policy then quit and find somewhere else to work. That's the best part of a free capitalism, there are more jobs. Business are constantly being created and growing.

Side: Capitalism is good
1 point

Capitalism looks good on paper. However, in practice, unregulated capitalism has shown repeatedly in history to result in market failure, corruption, monopolies, robber barons, worker exploitation, dangerous working conditions, child labor, violence against workers who peaceably assemble or speak out, and environmental disasters.

Every good thing about capitalism: the voice of the consumer in setting prices, competition, and theoretical "cream rising to the top (which never really happens in practice with this system)," are undone by the very system that makes them possible. In the end, it results in extreme wealth disparity, and injustice.

Side: Capitalism isn't good
Coldthedog(244) Disputed
0 points

Who gets the bad end of that, the losers. The people who don't work in life. The acohalics, the druggies, and the "Gangstas". Capitalism motivates kids to make better choices.

Side: Capitalism is good
Rotbart(101) Disputed
2 points

So, you believe in social darwinism, and that the powerful and rich are inherently good, temperent people. Well, that's simply not true.

There are plenty of hard-working people who live their entire lives in poverty. There are also plenty of rich people who have never worked a day in their lives. Moreover, there are plenty of alcoholics (alcoholics are in every class strata), druggies (rich people can afford designer drugs, and they do use them) and "gangsters (just look at Wall Street)" that have more money than they will ever need.

The "cream" does not rise to the top, in our system. Our system is essentially feudalism re-tooled for a post-industrial society. The rich tend to be born into wealth, and the poor people who "made it" can be counted and named because of how rare it is. You can assume that if a person is wealthy, they probably are wealthy because someone many generations ago got lucky, or they were born into a class that it was easy to become rich themselves. Most rich people had a tremendous advantage in the birth lottery. To deny this, is to deny fundamental sociological truths.

Your argument presupposes that ALL rich people are 100% good, and all poor people are 100% bad. That is EXACTLY how people thought in the medieval period, you've just bought into the myth that maintains social stability in a socially immobile, unfair society.

If it were simply a matter of "trying" to become wealthy, our wealth distribution would be much more fair than it is. The vast majority of poor people do not want to be poor, so do not think every single poor person hasn't done something to lift themselves out of poverty. If it were as easy as "don't drink or do drugs," then we would have almost no poor people. Unfortunately drugs and alcohol are not what makes you rich or poor.

Side: Capitalism isn't good