Quote:
Originally posted by Nad Adam
Capitalism doesn't damage nature, people who aren't willing to pay the price of a healthier enviroment do the damage. When people are ready to pay the price then capitalism and the capitalists will be ready to deliver.
Capitalism is a great tool for humanity to use. If you blame it you don't understand it.
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I think that one of the fundamental weaknesses of capitalism is that it tends to emphasize short-term gain over long-term (especially very long-term) costs. It is hard to imagine how a capitalist could be motivated to invest in something that is more environmentally friendly but less profitable -- the benefits are both distant and vague. The impact of any one individual's actions are minimal. Plus the capitalist isn't too interested in what happens 100 years from now.
It is in such situations where individualism fails -- each individual does what is best for them, but the overall long-term outcome is much worse than what it would be if each individual did what was best for the group.