Marxism

Marxists hate capitalism and see it as the exploitation of their work. To some degree, they’re correct.

Organization is a natural instinct. We organize chairs into rows, hair to one side or the other, and food into cereals, fruits, and so forth. Social Darwinism organizes people into varying degrees of productivity. As humans, we have a natural instinct of compassion, or a sense of humanity. We do not allow other humans to suffer when they are unproductive because we naturally assign inestimable value to human life.

Do people suffer when they must work 40-hour weeks to pay for life’s necessities? Of course not. People do not have a right to work. They choose to exchange their labor for money. Money is not evil, but a representation of how much people value labor. Everyone values labor. Any single person, with the exception of those suffering from debilitating physical or mental handicaps, can sell their labor. Anyone can pursue the labor they are best at or love most. If they are good enough at what they do, they can become a leader. In this way, the most able people rise and lead.

Exceptions exist. Some businesses hire leaders who have expensive education or powerful friends but little talent. These businesses will eventually fail because of ineptitude, while the more talented businesses will succeed. These successful businesses will attract the most talented employees by offering better benefits. They can afford to do so because superior labor yields more value. This competition results in a better quality of life for everyone.

A former exception is access to education. Today, anyone with desire and effort can attend college, and even have someone else pay for it. If you’re not a white male, your chances are even better. Information is free, primarily because the internet is largely unregulated (which is a wonderful example of capitalism itself). People are willing to spend money to find talented people and help them be successful.

Inequality will always exist. It is impossible for two people to have equal intelligence, ingenuity, strength, or any other asset that we value. If we limit the amount we value a skill like ingenuity to a certain level, people will only produce enough of that skill to reach that level. This is because humans react based on incentives: how healthy will I be if I spend the time to exercise; how happy will I be if I marry this person. To be equal, we eliminate incentives and promote mediocrity.

I oppose Marxism because it limits people. Everyone should be rewarded for the effort they make and talents they have. If one person becomes wealthy because he is both hardworking and talented, his wealth shouldn’t be taken away from him. Marxism rewards the mediocre as much as the producer, and that is unfair.