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Comment by jahewson | Hacker News Reader

I’m not sure why you’d place the blame on capitalism for this set of problems. If the reward were status or sainthood or whatever else, enough people would still be sufficiently motivated to mistreat each other. That the reward is “profit” in the form of some government money tokens doesn’t seem particularly important.

If you look at the food in the US for example one of the most distorted elements is the abundance of high fructose corn syrup - because the government subsidises it.

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The issue isn't simply that profit motivates bad behavior, but rather how our capitalist system, particularly through lobbying and legislation, disproportionately amplifies the influence of well-capitalized interests. For instance, the prevalence of high fructose corn syrup in our food supply isn’t just a random government subsidy; it's a direct result of agricultural subsidies shaped by powerful lobbies. These policies don’t emerge in a vacuum but are crafted in ways that systematically benefit the incumbents with the most capital, often at the expense of public health and smaller competitors. This underscores a structural imbalance where laws and subsidies are swayed more by capital than by the collective welfare of the populace.

Switch the word “capital” for “status” and you have any human economic system. You’re just describing the human condition.

> Switch the word “capital” for “status” and you have any human economic system.

Status can easily be taken away. You can not put status in a an index fund a watch it grow without doing anything. You can't give your status, without anyone knowing, for a favor.... The idea that switching "capital" for "status" will still get you the same thing is just dumb.

In modern theory about capitalism, the government isn't separate from "the market" but part of it. The recent theory I've read postulates that capitalism can't exist without the government, and that powerful nations were part of what enabled the emergence of modern day capitalism.

This aligns with John Rawls’ idea that economic AND political systems should be structured to benefit the least advantaged. Rawls acknowledged government and markets are connected, and advocated for a fair system that ensures equity and supports all, not just the powerful.

It’s obviously impossible because in such a system the least advantaged would rapidly become the most advantaged, while being incentivised to retain the outward image of remaining the least advantaged.

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