dadmonson Posted October 26, 2015 Report Share Posted October 26, 2015 (edited) This is a hypothetical situation. If you absolutely had to debate someone on the morality of Capitalism (if you don't do it you would die) and you could only read/study 5 essays/articles/short videos in preparation for the debate... Which essays/articles/short videos would you choose? The essays/articles/short videos could've been written by anybody. Pretend you know next to nothing about Capitalism. If you could give your reasons for your choices that would be sincerely appreciated also. Edited October 26, 2015 by dream_weaver Removed formatting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
softwareNerd Posted October 26, 2015 Report Share Posted October 26, 2015 So, the proposition is: "Capitalism is a Moral political system" ? Also, do you know the context of the other person, or is this example fictional? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dadmonson Posted October 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2015 So, the proposition is: "Capitalism is a Moral political system" ? Also, do you know the context of the other person, or is this example fictional? yup, you got it. assume the person you are debating against is a regular democrat college student (whatever that might mean is up to you guys to decide) and the college students in the audience are clueless about politics, morality, social systems in general... They think Ayn Rand is a breakfast cereal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
softwareNerd Posted October 26, 2015 Report Share Posted October 26, 2015 I would choose "The Objectivists Ethics" and "The Nature of Government" For the other three, I would choose some non Objectivists economists. Probably one essay each from Hazlitt, Friedman and Hayek, but I can't say which Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Repairman Posted October 30, 2015 Report Share Posted October 30, 2015 (edited) If you're looking for an appropriate video, I recommend a PBS series, The Commanding Heights, the Battle for the World Economy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9ms2WOZi74 It is presented in three parts, and each part runs two hours. The first installment is the best, and may be sufficient to inform the historical background of the 20th century tug-of-war between socialism and capitalism. It is an excellent introduction to the ideas of Friedrich Hayek and John Maynard Keynes. Overall, the impression one takes away from this video is that regardless as to how much one may wish that central government forces will solve the problems of the world, ultimately the influence of relaxed regulations and free-trade policies better serve nations. I wish you the best in your endeavors to persuade the skeptics. Edit: These are not short videos. But then, the argument of ideas, and making the superior argument for capitalism, is not an easy or quick accomplishment. I can only make one quick and easy argument for capitalism: Capitalism is not the guarantor of an easy and carefree social order. However, as a matter of human rights, it is the only guarantor of a morally just social order. Edited October 30, 2015 by Repairman needed to address the opening post Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig24 Posted October 30, 2015 Report Share Posted October 30, 2015 Overall, the impression one takes away from this video is that regardless as to how much one may wish that central government forces will solve the problems of the world, ultimately the influence of relaxed regulations and free-trade policies better serve nations. I wish you the best in your endeavors to persuade the skeptics. A PBS show that's free market friendly? Or is it merely a neutral presentation in which the viewer can draw his own conclusion that free markets are better? Either way, this surprises me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Repairman Posted October 30, 2015 Report Share Posted October 30, 2015 It was based on a book written by Daniel Yergin and Joseph Stanislaw. If you watch the entire three part program, you can draw your own conclusions. They present an overview of several nations and their central planning experiments, including the United States, and the rebounding of their economies with more capitalistic policies. Also, you may want to check out the Milton Friedman series, originally aired on PBS: Free to Choose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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