The Morality of Capitalism

Capitalism is based on individual rights, namely right to individual liberty and right of property. These rights are required in order for individual development and well being.

Man's main difference between other animals is his ability to reason. Man's essence of being is the ability to think, chose, and produce his well being. All other animals are already born with their instinct of survival. Humans must use their reason, to acquire knowledge, learn new knowledge, communicate knowledge with others and to apply this knowledge in a logically perceived environment. Man uses his senses and thinking to know what his environment is and thus be able to change it for its optimal living. Man, when at its most rational state (which is essentially at its most humanly state) is keenly aware of his own existence and wishes to make it as best as possible for himself and those he loves most dearly, principally his own family.

This awareness, knowledge and perception of reality is what makes a person moral.

It makes him foremost as honest as he can with himself and others because the moment he cheats, lies or deceives, he is autodeconstructing a reality of his surroundings. This corrupts his own rationality and his ability to think and therefore his uniqueness as a human being. Man, in order to remain as most human as possible must be truthful of himself and to others because as he gradually lives a world of lies, deceits and cheats he loses his ability to think logically and autodestructs.

Secondly it makes him moral by desiring to be worthy of his own existence since existence is perceived logical and absolute by his own senses (whether he wants to or not, say by believing in God). This need to be worthy is what sometimes makes him altruistic by giving to others, but if he is truly honest with himself, it makes him want to be productive for his own sake. A person who denies his own reason of existence (such as basing it on God), lacks self-esteem, and will tend to be excessively altruistic, sacrificing himself above others, leading to a spiralling self destruction of self. It is when a person actually produces for himself when he becomes proud since he is affirming his reason of being alive. He can produce art, goods and services of value to others which he can trade for anthing he and only he himself considers is good for himself. Since man is rational, he can only feel morally proud by his own production, not by stealing or killing others cold blooded (cynical egoism), since he is would be falsely affirming his own existence by denying the existence of others.

Thirdly it makes him moral by attempting to control his irrationality (which distorts his sense of existence) with actions gone amok by emotions. Uncontrolled anger leading to violence is irrational and completely against the essence of being a human being. He attempts to control his irrational lust for others than his purposeful love. He attempts to control his irrational desires, those that lead him to results that he knows are the ones he doesn't want, such as eating leading to being fat, drinking leading to stupor, laziness leading to lack of productivity, etc.

Of course not everyone is rational all the time, but we naturally detests it when we are irrational by our recognizance. Man is constantly striving to be as humanly human as can be and that is why he develops a morallity for himself. It is when he is at its most objective with reality when he can become as most humanly conscious of himself as possible. But this is not possible all the time of course but should be so at least in what he considers are the most important decisions of his life. Man must not strive to eliminate his own emotions by regarding them as irrational since he himself should know its impossible, but rather to become rational by trying to understand them and use them as tools of perception themselves.

For man to be as able to think and chose what is right for himself and those he loves, he needs, first and foremost, liberty and freedom to do so. Violence, Force or threat of force completely denies this state of freedom to think. Man then is no longer morally obliged with himself and should or might not recognize the situation. If someone threatens his wife to rape her, he can be free for himself to kill the person that is initiating force. Likewise in any situation where force or threat of force invalidates his ability to think.

For man to feel worthy of his own existence he needs to have created his own survival by procuring goods and services for himself by his own physical work, creative thinking or productivity. This is why he should have the right of property, so he can be sure of his own worthiness of individual existence. These are the moral foundations of capitalism.

Originally posted at the Internet Infidels forum