Thank You Adam Smith.

I must say, you do a great job of blaming Adam Smith for a bunch of shit he's not responsible for.The competition's been arond forever--ever since we've had tribes competing against one another.nicotene is naturally found in tobaccoo, and was already being used in the 1600s--why do you think it was a cash crop (for Virginia) under the mercantilist system?money--ever since we switched from the bargaining system, we've had money. I mean, even Hammurabi's code deals with debt and credit, and we know they had money from the this--"if you don't have the cash, you gotta pay with grain" (paraphrased)there have always been have-nots--ever since we've had greed.I admit, social darwinism was bad--but so is this current capitalism--robber barons and Exxon-mobil was not what Smith was advocatingindustrialization--I don't know how that relates to capitalism. Care to elaborate?mediocrity has been here for a long while, and is actually not advocated by capitalism. why? if you make a so-so product, and someone else makes a better quality product, which are you going to buy? If you say the mediocre one, it is only becuase you do not care for quality.while you're blaming ghettoes on capitalism, be sure to blame Hitler too. Better yet, blame the ghettoes on the greedy robber barons who abused the capitalist system.aren't slums the same thing as ghettoes?You know, at least we get to retire at 65 and enjoy life afterwards--want to go back to a time when living to 65 was rare? Like in Smith's time?We've always had jobs--ever since something needed to be done. the first civilization, Sumer, had jobs.again, seeing as how you equate jobs with meaningless occupation, blame the damn sumerians.slavery was well in existence before capitalism. Again, the sumerians had slaves. blame them for the idea.I'm not sure which misleads the world more--communism, fanatic crackpots, idealists, or capitalistism?On the point of the world wars--I defintely disagree. WWI was the result of a crazed ruler desparate to prove Europe of germany, and his own, might. WWII was the direct result of the Versailles Treaty--it's unfairness and the unwillingness to defend it.The first we killed for oil was in WWI--without it the war would've been lost by britain and france before we stepped in.Jingoism is a result of imperialism, see belowYou want to tell me that Hammurabi, Alexander, the Romans, the Egyptians, the Hittites, and many other ancient and classical civilization's weren't in the least bit imperial, and wanted to expand their empire?We've had borders since we first had city-states--again, blame the sumerians.Nationalism is not the result of Capitalism--it is, in fact, one of the results of raison d'etat.You know, I personally blame Osama for 9/11, but whatever.Terrorism has been around for a long time--far longer than has capitalism.I would blame your God for making our minds so primitive, not something that didn't actually create them. (in my case, I blame evolution for the screwed up body I've got)Don't see what capitalism has to do with automobiles and pollution. care to elaborate?Something tells me you don't mean to thank Smith for not living, as he did in fact live. If you blame him for the "false" live we all lead, its our choice to follow the "false" lives. I happen to think mine's real, but then, "I think not" (oops. do I disappear now)suburbs are a direct result of the American dream, and we've had the american dream before most farmers were introduced to capitalism. It is, instead, a direct result of our greed.I'm not sure what conformity and capitalism share, care to elaborate?as to those glass ceilings--I like my sky lights
you know, it's a good thing there glass--we can break through them. Now, had you made them out of steel and other really strong materials, we'd be deep in trouble. Oh wait, good thing we've got capitalism--who knows what's on the other side, right? It could be an economic goldmine--and whoever gets there first wins. sorry, no ceilings, not where there's money to be made.At least you do thank him for the one thing he is directly responsible for--capitalism.What system? You mean we live in the matrix!? shit, we need neo, now. there's always been a system--bargaining, mercantilism, communism, capitalism, and then the governments. Might as well lay the blame at everybody's feet.Point put simple--quit blaming the wrong guy. Or, actually do something about it if you think it's so bad.

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All a man's knowledge comes from his experiences

ah, com'on, you can get my name right.it's:k u r e s u.notk u r a s u.I await your response.

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All a man's knowledge comes from his experiences

why would any one attack us?any one who has anything to gain, and nothing to lose.it's not about capitalism. 9-11 was solely an attack against America for being the most powerful nation (and we are, for the moment), for being heathens, for having troups in Saudi Arabia. Osama is trying to destroy the top nation of the world--not because we use capitalism--but simply because he is against what we stand for.as to fixing the system, if you find it so horrible--I'm so glad you're just going to go and remove yourself. Fool. don't you realize that you have to actually go into the system, start from within, and change it? How do you change politics? A revolution--the most effective are from inside. you don't remove yourself--then the system will continue to self-perpetuate. you wanna change it? get in there. start a company. show everybody the right way to do this stuff. show us how to treat employees right. show us how not to exploit the workers. show us how to make a quality product. Don't go running away. (hint: look up REI)Change is happening. People are beginning to realize that the abomination known as capitalism today is screwed up--because people perverted it. Just like the neo-fascist nationalist party perverted the word nationalist, completely destroying what it originally meant.Me, I'm pissed off with the government. And what am I doing? I'm not running. My friend and I started our own party to try and fix things. we're just getting off the ground. and have already had to change the name (thanks to the previously mentionded neo-fascist bastards). But we're going to actually try and change the system. not run from it.

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All a man's knowledge comes from his experiences

you know what sucks--my college library seems to not have"An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of The Wealth of Nations"any other titles used that I can search for? I'm thinking a good reading is in order, but the damn library's lacking.

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All a man's knowledge comes from his experiences

that was good, archer, real smooth.

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All a man's knowledge comes from his experiences

wow. just wow.you're criticizing the guy, without having read his work.you, who would rather read the works of the philosophers instead of getting the reader's digest version from your teachers.you do smack of hypocrisy.

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All a man's knowledge comes from his experiences

I'd hate to compare you with the creationists who feel they don't need to understand evolution in order to try and destroy it, but . . .isn't there a phrase somewhere to the effect of needing to know your enemy before you fight him?

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All a man's knowledge comes from his experiences

I feel like a fool--my library does have it.it helps if you use the search properly--as in last name, first name.had I done that--I would have found the book.quite naturally, there is no Wealth of Nations by Smith Adam.

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All a man's knowledge comes from his experiences

then we won't continue in this off-topic vein after this.in case you hadn't figured out, there's no need to suppose I'm non-religious. I am, if not an atheist, an agnostic (the only thing pushing me in that direction is music).I don't know how you can say that modern man is spiritually empty (or the good majority of us). If prophex recalls from Siddhartha, the Buddha went through several stages in life just to get to nirvana. One of those stages was living in the materialistic world, falling to the trappings of the materialistic world. So, the materialistic world does have a purpose.I don't see why society as a whole has to try and reconcile with the Creator. I think it should be done on an individual basis--you work for you own salvation (however it is that you're supposed to get it), the society as a whole should not work for it. Since when did God judge all of society, and not only each person individually?I don't view purpose, morality, and destiny as something the whole society as a team should work for. But in terms of individuals--we have to find each of those things on our own. We have to learn what our purpose is--even if it does take our entire life--at which point all your experiences (including those meaningless jobs) have some meaning. As to morality, I personally tend to follow the utilitarian principle with a dash of Kant--the categorical imperative (yeah--I get how wierd that is). And as to destiny--I think we don't have any set destiny. There's a video game character in FF8 that says this:"Some people say that you an infinite number of choices in the journey of life. I don't think that's true. I got where I am by choosing among the limited paths I had." No set destiny, mind you, but I feel that rings true. We all, individually, live our lives, constrained by the limited choices we have. (on second thought--this paragraph here is kinda confusing)Piont put simple--don't blame society for the failings of the individual. Because it is the individual, not the society, that lives, makes his choices, and dies. It is up to each and every one of us to make the right choices (whatever they may be), not society. It is up to us to follow the moral code (again, whatever that may be). And if you think that some people have really screwed things up, that they've made the wrong choices, follow the wrong moral compass, well, don't blame society.anywho, if prophex really wanted to criticize the spiritual emptiness in this materialistic world, he should've picked the scumbags from Enron. Or from the tabaccoo industry. or from the congress and senate and government.note to prophex--you want to read the philosophers, right? well, Smith is one, and Wealth isn't his only work of philosophy--look 'em up.

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All a man's knowledge comes from his experiences