svelteciderMar 6

What is a belief you’ve done a total 180 on?

https://lemmy.ca/post/61396220

What is a belief you’ve done a total 180 on? - Lemmy.ca

I used to be strictly materialist and atheist. Now I’m pretty spiritual. Don’t necessarily follow a religion and don’t support bigotry but yeah, I’m fairly spiritual now. This is a recent development and I never thought I’d be here like 5 years ago.

Show threadhperrinMar 6
I used to believe capitalism could work if it was just done right.
Show threadfizzleMar 6

This is an unpopular opinion around here but greed and the desire for power are the real problems and they exist in any economic system.

Capitalism wouldn’t be that bad if wealth was distributed equitably - heavy wealth taxes et cetera supporting socialised human policies like education, healthcare, UBI, et cetera.

Show threadproleMar 7
Greed only exists as a concept if private property exists
Show threadhowrarMar 7

Isn’t private property a necessity for society to function? Even in a communist society where everything is distributed equally, once resources are distributed, those resources become private property.

Or am I misunderstanding the concept of private property?

Show threadNostraDavid

In Communism “property” gets split by function:

There is “personal property” - your clothes, toothbrush, phone, bike, house, car, etc.

“Private property” means any asset that produces something that can be used to extract profit. Think of factories, warehouses, rentals, mines, ships, servers, patents, etc.

“Common property” are things like community gardens, a public fishery (like a lake).

“Public/Social property” are usually state-owned, like public roads, the railway, the power grid (usually), etc.

“State property” also state-owned, but not publicly accessible, like the office buildings where government officials work.

“If you own a chair and sit on it, that is personal property. If you own a factory and other people work in it while you collect the profit, that is private property.”

My problem with these definitions is that my personal computer is also my private computer. I can use it to make money, but it’s also deeply personal. Then again, Marx could not have anticipated this issue.

Mar 8 at 12:21pmWeb
Show threadhowrarMar 8

Thanks for the explanation. That makes sense.

My problem with these definitions is that my personal computer is also my private computer.

This is something I’ve wondered about too. Maybe it should only apply to things that would be too expensive for a single person to own? If everyone can have their own, then it’s personal property, even if you can make money from it.