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pavel_lishin

> scientists were surely executed in various contexts (same in the West)

Name one.

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Giordano Bruno

As relevant to this discussion as Joan of Arc.

But it highlights the absurdity of the statement that West also purged scientists.

I can think about Turing, he was definitely is a victim of the system, but not because he was a scientist.

How about one that doesn't predate capitalism?

So… Giordano Bruno?

Giordano Bruno, 1548-1600.

Capitalism came to rise during the industrial revolution more than a hundred years later.

If you arbitrarily want to make it start there… sure

Wasn't it a capitalism, the system Roman empire had?

It had elements of capitalism, like private ownership and focus on trade via monetary means, but its economy was largely based on slavery and your position within the system was based almost entirely on where you were born and to whom. It's a pre-industrial system, capitalism isn't really the correct description for it.

Sounds like USA in the early days. Not a capitalism as well?

I mean, obviously not? History is way more complicated than this, just because certain elements fit doesn't mean we look at it and go "yeah that's capitalism mate". Historians generally use capitalism as a description for economic systems from 19th century onwards - before then the correct answer is usually "it's complicated". I appreciate that can be frustrating if we just want to slap a simple recognizable label on things, but history doesn't always fit what we want it to be.

Julius Rosenburg is an obvious one. The Nazis executed gobs of scientists. And I'm certain I could find other examples if needed, but that is off the top of my head.

> Julius Rosenburg is an obvious one.

Who was executed for being a spy, not for holding unorthodox scientific beliefs.

The National Socialists were socialists so that undermines not reinforces your point:

- they implemented communist policies like mass nationalization schemes with some of the resulting "companies" being amongst the largest organizations in the world

- they wanted to fully nationalize the entire economy after the war

- they passed large amounts of left wing legislation

- they, obviously, called themselves socialists constantly. Hitler said "I am a fanatical socialist".

- they openly hated capitalism. A big part of their hate for Jews was that they associated Judaism with international capital. Same reason Marx was an anti-semite.

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