Saturday, September 29, 2018

Inheritance and Capitalism

Every human is someone's child, or, perhaps, the creation of a deity.  Accordingly, being related to some other entity is inherent in being human.  Thus, Atomism, which asserts the Externality of Relations, is applicable to human affairs only by abstracting from them.  Now, one Economic relation that is based on the parent-child relation is Inheritance.  So, it is no accident that perhaps the only transaction that accepted by Economic Atomism, i. e. Capitalism, as outside the scope of Market competition and the Invisible Hand is Inheritance.  Marx also seems to miss that Inheritance perpetuates Private Property privilege, starting with Land, the basis of all Means of Production.  Likewise, current debate over Inheritance Tax overlooks the more fundamental problem for Democracy--that Inheritance perpetuates Inequality, thereby making any 'level playing-field', and 'equal opportunity' for children, impossible.

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