Ayn Rand on Capitalism
Posted by mminnick 5 years, 8 months ago to Philosophy
The action required to sustain human life is primarily intellectual: everything man needs has to be discovered by his mind and produced by his effort. Production is the application of reason to the problem of survival . . .
Since knowledge, thinking, and rational action are properties of the individual, since the choice to exercise his rational faculty or not depends on the individual, man’s survival requires that those who think be free of the interference of those who don’t. Since men are neither omniscient nor infallible, they must be free to agree or disagree, to cooperate or to pursue their own independent course, each according to his own rational judgment. Freedom is the fundamental requirement of man’s mind.
“What Is Capitalism?”
Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal, 17
SOURCE URL: https://campus.aynrand.org/lexicon/capitalism
"Capitalism is when rich people steal from hardworking folks" is likely to be what you hear.
I do like this from the article:
Capitalism is a social system based on the recognition of individual rights, including property rights, in which all property is privately owned.
Most people can understand that, no matter who they are. Gives hope that what Capitalism is supposed to be can be communicated out to the general public.