From: Mark Steven Heyman (markheyman@infoproconsulting.com)
Date: Fri Jul 01 2005 - 20:11:09 BST
On 1 Jul 2005 at 12:39, hampday@earthlink.net wrote:
Our material possessions are no more than appropriated articles that
can be transferred to other individuals at the end of our life-
experience. They are consigned to us by virtue of our labor,
payment, or inheritance.
msh asks:
Is it your contention that all material possessions are acquired by
virtue of one's labor, payment, or inheritance? If not, please
reformulate your statement to reflect the reality of unearned wealth.
ham:
There is no greed implied in such transactions. All that is required
is the willingness to work for what we have.
msh asks:
How is inherited wealth accounted for in terms of the recipient's
willingness to work for what he gets?
ham:
Material goods earned for contributions to society are a measure of
our individual freedom. Capitalism is not based on greed; it's the
enlightenend concept of being rewarded commensurate with our
productivity and talent.
msh:
Allow me to repeat myself from a previous post, and ask some
questions:
Suppose someone patents a life-saving drug with the intention of
maximizing profits for himself. What contribution to society is
made by denying the drug to people who are unable to meet his price?
What contribution to society is being rewarded when the holder of a
community's water rights is able to extort top dollar from those who
can pay while denying water to those who can't?
Suppose a CEO is able to secure a million dollar bonus because he
reduced disposal costs by dumping toxic waste onto public lands. What
contribution to society is being rewarded?
ham:
To assert that the individual has no "right" to material possessions
because they are properties of some external "authority" is
nonsensical. So is the idea of "selflessness". "Each according to
his ability, to each according to his need"? Anyone who falls for
that Marxist line doesn't know the value of human life. That's pure
Collectivism, and it's where Chomsky and his fellow nihilists would
dearly like to take us. I sincerely hope that no one here is reading
that ideology into the MoQ.
msh:
Please provide Chomsky quotes, with references to original texts, in
support of your statement that NC is a nihilist. Where is it that
you believe "Chomsky and his fellow nihilists" would like to take us?
Please develop this idea, and provide textual support for your
position.
Mark Steven Heyman (msh)
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