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assess the enviromental impact
an essay for environmental impact
an essay for environmental impact
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Capitalism on Our Side
In the twenty-first century efforts need to be made to enhance the benefits of capitalism. This system has been able to improve the lives of many Americans. Critics however, point out that the improvements have come at a high cost. Specifically, they point to the amount of damage done to the environment. Although capitalism has raised the standard of living, because of the damage done to the environment capitalism is a wasteful system.
Throughout history capitalism has raised the standard of living for many individuals. As former University of Vienna economics professor Ludwig von Mises says, “Modern capitalism is essentially mass production for the needs of the masses. The buyers of the products are by and large the same people who as wage earners cooperate in their manufacturing.” For the producer, “Profits are the driving force of the market economy. The greater the profits, the better the needs of the consumers are supplied.” Entrepreneurs are able to see if the consumers approve of their work by the amount of profit that they make. Profit is able to increase the number of people that are employed, which is beneficial to both the country and the individual. Staff member of the Foundation for Economic Education, Howard Baetjer Jr. points out that, “As more and more goods are produced in greater and greater numbers, prices of just about everything drops.” The increased production is brought upon by the desire of businesses and corporations to achieve more profit. The higher wages that result from more profit are just as important as the increase in production, which allows for more employment. Higher wages and increased employment result in an improved standard of living.
However, as people strive to achieve more and more profit, the environment is harmed. Respected author and environmentalist Paul Hawken states, “American industry uses as much as one hundred times more material and energy than theoretically required to deliver consumer services.” There is not an endless supply of materials and natural resources, so this type of industrial strategy only brings us closer to the day when they are exhausted. Hawken goes on to say that, “About 94 percent of the materials extracted for use in manufacturing durable products become waste before the product is even manufactured.” In order to keep the profits rolling in, businesses and individuals have been using more and more natural resources.
Capitalism has widely been regarded as one of the most advanced intellectual achievements of the past few centuries. However, a system which is largely credited for alleviating “human misery” is actually perpetuating it (Goldberg, 6). Capitalism inherently fuels inequality leading to poverty among the powerless. Jonah Goldberg in his article, Capitalism Has Lifted Billions Out of Poverty, attributed the economic theory to ending poverty, but failed to recognize that capitalism’s lofty goals are merely fulfilled on paper. Equal opportunity must exist for capitalism to end human misery, however the stratification of society ensures that no individual has equal access to the keys of capitalist success.
Capitalism as an economic system has not been around for a very long time. Stanford indicates that this economic system began in the mid-1700s in Europe . For a considerably young system, it almost seems impossible to imagine a different way of living. Capitalism has become deeply embedded in our social structures; it is naturalized as a way of doing day to day things. If this is the case, then we as humans have a long way to go if we are to achieve social and economic justice. The question I aim to explore is whether capitalism is capable of achieving socio-economic justice. I am arguing that it cannot achieve justice because there is too much focus on profit rather than people and it dislocates the consumers from the modes of production which indirectly promotes social inequality. Our current economic system which I will be interchangeably using as capitalism throughout the paper will examine why the focus on profit is detrimental to the social well-being of people and explain how capitalism is divisive and why this can pose negative outcomes for individuals and communities. It is with these arguments that outline the need for a fundamental change to how our economy is structured and managed.
In a time of such economic distress, where it sometimes feels as though the world as we know it is coming to an end, it is hard not to examine and question the fundamental idea of capitalism. Many people are starting to wonder if our laissez-faire attitude towards the economy can continue to be successful or if a major change to our society is imminent. In seeking answers to these questions, it is impossible not to think of economist Karl Marx, who spent the better part of his career analyzing capitalism. Marx long ago predicted what he deemed the inevitable downfall of the capitalist society and outlined his reasoning in his infamous Manifesto of the Communist Party. According to Marx, capitalism is bound to collapse due to its inherent internal contradictions of overproduction, concentration of capital and an intelligent working class (Marx 1983:210-214). Interestingly, in looking at current events, examples of these capitalist contradictions are abundant. Looking at modern situations through a Marxist lens we are better able to understand the circumstances society finds itself in today and predict and prepare for the future.
Capitalism in its purest form is all about maximizing profit at whatever the cost to the workers, economy or environment. In this light capitalism can be viewed as a double-edged sword, in which a company in a capitalistic economy will avoid extra cost at any chance possible even if that means the illegal disposal of harmful secondhand electronics avoiding all the rules and regulations that would make disposal cost extra called E-Waste, to impoverished countries such as China and Ghana. But this in turn hurts the very people that make the system work, which is the second contradiction of capitalism; with the improper disposal of waste that in turns make the workers sick, they then work less or potentially die, but a workers death in underdeveloped countries will have less of an affect on the economy “Because wage structures are lowest in less developed countries, pollution would mean fewer losses in earnings due to morbidity and mortality” (Robbins et al. 2010, 97). And the prime example of the damage that E-waste is causing is in Guiyu, China where irreversible damage has been done to the entire community because of failure to properly dispose of electronics by countries such as the United States, Canada and Australia has led to a surplus of harmful obsolete electronics that have flooded underdeveloped countries all in the name of saving money and avoiding the regulations set about by the U.S. government.
Our belief states are determined by the external factors, for example, perceived complexity and priming ethics is an interesting subject and everyone lives by their thoughts and their ways. Everyone lives by a different code. In this paper I will argue against capitalism, because capitalism in the long run is morally unjustified. I will start off by explaining what capitalism is, and then I will explain how capitalism affects us and lastly I will conclude why capitalism is not morally justifiable. Morality is about primary making the right choices. Now the key word here is, right. We have to make sure if the system is the right system for all of us as a whole and not only if it benefits only some.
...ny critics over the years, and we have seen many arguments for and against the use of a free market system. However, I believe along with the authors that without capitalism, America could not be the country it is today. Even though American society has faced many moral issues, it is not the fault of the economic system, rather the fault of the morally inept who take advantage of the system and those participating in it. The authors also develop their argument by bringing up issues that I was not able to fit into this paper such as government intrusion in the free market system, as well as corporate injustice. However, again as I stated before, these are injustices resulting from individuals, not from the core foundation of the system. Capitalism aligns closely with the economic principles laid out in the bible, and because of that it is a morally superior system.
With rising sea levels, CO2 emissions, and global temperatures, climate scientists and researchers alike are left to wonder how the global climate was allowed to progress to its present state, as well as how to stop this progression in the future. The main topic of debate in this paper will be the relationship between the free market and the environment, and if such a relationship even exists in the first place. In assessing the works and positions of both Naomi Klein and Ronald Bailey, I find Klein’s view of the negative relationship between capitalism and environmentalism to be more convincing, overall.
First, Capitalism is an enterprise system that effects the principle of people’s rights. Capitalism is one of the biggest factors that contributed to the world becoming more globalized and it affects us now as much as it did in the earlier era. Capitalism played a role in mostly the world’s economic system as in the flow of money, trade, profit, wages, class, etc. Capitalism was clearly shown in the industrial revolution. During this
To begin, capitalism is the economic ideology that everything is primarily focused towards making profit through the production and distribution of a product. In the article “Capitalism: Where Do We Come From?” By Robert Heilbroner and Lester Thurow, they provide insight on how capitalism has changed over the years and the impact it now has in today’s society. “There were no factors of production before capitalism. Of course, human labour, nature’s gift of land and natural resources, and the artifacts of society have always existed. But labour, land, and capital were not commodities for sale” (Para,17). Capitalism has an impact in my life because in the 21st century children are taught in school skills that will benefit businesses, so that they can continue to make a profit through the production and distribution
Jeff Butcher and Rachel Hill pointed out the impacts of businesses on environments, by stating “The more of a product that is consumed or produced, the more of an externality that results” (Butcher, Jeff, & Hill, Rachel, 2006). Obviously, we can see that one product produced will bring benefit to consumer, sellers, and manufacturers. Meanwhile, one produced and consumed will cause negative externalities for environment. There is one fact we cannot deny that the more social life develops, the more externalities will be produced to the society. Daily living garbage, industrial wastes, carbon dioxide from factories are most outstanding examples to describe negative externalities to environment (Butcher, Jeff, & Hill, Rachel, 2006). In “The tragedy of the Commons”, Hardin showed us causes of negative externalities. He proved that people assume a...
First and foremost, a capitalist economic system motivates people by rewarding them for their skills and efforts that they put into their work (Deane). Promotions and pay raises are some examples of the rewards that people are able to receive if they put great effort into their work. However, if people exert average or small amounts of effort, chances are that the rewards that they receive will reflect on their lack of effort. The rewards that can be received inspire ambition and an avid desire in people to be successful. People will apply themselves and be determined to reach their highest potential in order to acquire great rewards. People who work hard to earn more money will typically cause them to experience a feeling of accomplishment and will often give them the means to for a higher standard of living (Burke). Having a society where people are motivated to work hard to succeed will result in a more successful economy. On the other hand, socialist economic systems offer little or no reward for people who really apply t...
Capitalism dominates the world today. Known as a system to create wealth, capitalism’s main purpose is to increase profits through land, labor and free market. It is a replacement of feudalism and slavery. It promises to provide equality and increases living standards through equal exchanges, technological innovations and mass productions. However, taking a look at the global economy today, one can clearly see the disparity between developed and developing countries, and the persistence of poverty throughout the world despite the existence of abundant wealth. This modern issue was predicted and explained a hundred and fifty years ago in Karl Marx’s Capital.
There has always been a debate nowadays over the topic of capitalism. Those who favor capitalism argue that it is doing more goods than bads for us. But people who criticize capitalism, on the other hand, hold...
...e happy. However, Carl argued that now more than ever people are questioning capitalism. It is important to question and critique our current capitalistic system. The current system in place is alienating workers and places too much emphasis on profit and the modes of production. There are extensive problems and repercussions that must be death within a profit-driven society. We should be working towards a system that is driven by what is needed not what is profitable. A profit-driven system can lead to over-accumulation and production of items that are actually not required because of over-production. We need to undergo change in order to construct a form of social and economic life based on production for need, not production for profit. This means that a system must be created that has a focus on democratic planning, worker-self management, and global solidarity.
The world’s economies continue to be divided on by whom their means of production benefit, supply, enrich, and protect. Many debates and altercations have been a result of disagreements between capitalists and socialists. Socialists believe the government is essential in providing equality for all and the allocation of capital goods. But the strength of capitalism can be attributed to an incentive structure based upon the three P’s: (1) prices determined by market forces, (2) a profit-and-loss system of accounting and (3) private property rights. The failure of socialism can be traced to its neglect of these three incentive-enhancing components. (Perry) Socialism gives power to the government to regulate the goods produced, the amount of goods produced, where the goods are distributed, and the price of the goods. This command system does not allow for the creativity, wealth, and freedom that capitalism supplies the citizens. Capitalism provides a market system that permits companies to regulate the economies themselves. Capitalism offers the world’s economy the freedom to manage itself, diversify, prosper, fail, and freedom from regulation in order to supply the world based on demand and creativity. Capitalism is the only social system that rewards merit, ability and achievement, regardless of one’s birth or station in life. Capitalism is the only social system that rewards virtue and punishes vice. This applies to both the business executive and the carpenter, the lawyer, and the factory worker. (Thomson) Capitalism is the world’s dominant economic system. Within it, the means of production and distribution are owned by individuals: private ownership and free enterprise are believed to lead to more efficiency, lower prices, be...