Monday, February 12, 2018

Humanist Technocracy and Capitalism

Since, as even Marx recognizes, Private Property can promote Humanist values, e. g. as a development from Feudalism, Capitalism is not inherently precluded in Humanist Technocracy on that ground alone.  However, the principle of the Invisible Hand of the Market, and commonly associated propositions, is antithetical to the doctrine.  For, the Technocratic doctrine requires efficacy, but that such an entity even exists is dubious by its original formulator's own Empiricist standards. Furthermore, that, as its proponents claim, the principle is an effective source of social Justice has not been easy to verify--persistent economic inequality, often defended by question-begging arguments, e. g. that poverty is deserved, is a common counter-example.  Still, even granting that effectiveness, it does not suffice as a protection against a violation of Laissez-Faire policy upon which many advocates insist.  For, that success does not entail that further improvement on Humanist grounds is impossible, whereas for the Humanist Technocrat, the possibility of improvement is always open to experimental determination.  So, any incorporation of Capitalism into a Humanist Technocracy requires the jettisoning of its Dogmatic Invisible Hand thesis.

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