this post was submitted on 21 Sep 2023
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Hey Mateys, I have project at my university regarding business proposals, and I have an idea of Free knowledge at your hand that is free books and scientific research papers at no cost. Now, how to tackle the copyright issue and propose my idea?

I kindly request your assistance. New proposals, improvements, and suggestions are welcome.

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[–] [email protected] 21 points 2 years ago (1 children)

That's not a separate thing, it's just capitalism in crisis because of the tendency of the rate of profit to fall

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago (8 children)

I can see why you would think that. I think this video explains it well https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDPPig9JR5Y.

TL;DW: Capitalism in it's true form was "I give you this, you give me that". Exchange of goods. And from that perspective, it has worked. But now that nobody sells stuff anymore but holds you or the goods you want hostage, it has devolved back to the old system of feudalism where you live somewhere and the king asks for your work and money so you can live there.

I'm not saying thats the only way to look at it but I find the explanation pretty good. It would explain why so many people who are actually very good at trading things struggle in this climate now while others now thrive who have no clue how to produce viable products.

[–] [email protected] 31 points 2 years ago

Capitalism is a system where the means of production are privately owned and operated with the goal of generating profit for the owners. It has nothing to do with that other stuff you said.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

Trading goods isn't capitalism. Trading goods has existed for thousands upon thousands of years. Capitalism has only existed for a few hundred years.

I know you mean well, but this speaks to a deep educational misunderstanding about what capitalism is. If you are interested in learning about what it is, how it functions and how it relates to and differs from previous systems I am up for helping out with a short 101 and making recommendations for further reading.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Sure! Feel free. I mean, I can read wikipedia and it basically says „private ownership of the means of production used for profit.“ as well as „competitive markets“ which are not what we are seeing nowadays.

I‘m used to being misunderstood due to my differently wired brain but I‘m always eager to learn. So hit me. :)

[–] WarmApplePieShrek 0 points 2 years ago

The correct one is „private ownership of the means of production used for profit.“ Capitalism is about having capital, that is, some thing that makes other people give you money, but you don't lose it when they give you money, like a factory, brand loyalty or IP rights. Competitive markets stifle this, so capitalists try to eliminate the competition and they've been succeeding. It's not like trading. In trading you give me money for my coal, but I don't have the coal any more so I have to dig more coal from the ground to get more money.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 2 years ago

Capitalism in it's true form was "I give you this, you give me that"

So you believe capitalism existed all the way back during the neolithic and beyond, were cavemen "true capitalists"? Capital isn't a set of goods simply traded between people, it's circulating money tied to productive property or alienated assets

Primitive exchange of goods requires the goods becoming the means and the ends even if money is an intermediary, under capitalism it's capital (i.e. money) that becomes the end, while goods may or may not be the means of generation, and since money is the sole metric of success there must a set of people who work for capitalists to create that money and reproduce themselves, since goods are hidden behind said money

[–] [email protected] 17 points 2 years ago

What are you referring to when you say "capitalism"?

Are you talking about the dominant economic paradigm of the Enlightenment through to the present day, characterized by companies with private and fully transferrable ownership, named after the concept of "capital gains", embodying the distinction between land and labor and capital and entrepreneurship, and originally pioneered by the Dutch East India Company (and also the British one)?

Or are you talking about a more vague pattern of human relations that merely involves exchange between two private parties that is mediated by some sort of ruleset?

[–] [email protected] 15 points 2 years ago

a gift economy is also an exchange of goods but it's decidedly not capitalism - no one earns any profit and there's no flow converting money into capital and capital back into money.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 2 years ago

TL;DW: Capitalism in it's true form was "I give you this, you give me that". Exchange of goods.

Amazing

chefs-kiss

[–] WarmApplePieShrek 2 points 2 years ago

Capitalism and free markets are different things. You're thinking of free markets.