Is Capitalism Really Human Nature?

These days, at least in the West, there seems to be a consensus that capitalism is just "the way things are." Everyone from capitalist economists to your dentist to your weird uncle is firmly convinced that humans are just hard-wired for capitalism. Let's explore that idea. Hope you enjoy!

Is Capitalism Really Human Nature? – Second Thought

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Citations and Further Reading:

Yugopnik Video

Andrewism Video

Graeber, Debt: The First 5000 Years

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About Second Thought:
Second Thought is a channel devoted to education and analysis of current events from a Leftist perspective. Welcome!

[beasttitanofficial]

I studied cultural anthropology in university. We often talked about "human nature" in class. Early humans would care for one another, for the sick and dying, for the children. Because humans are gregarious animals, we are meant to form communities and that's how we survive. That's one of the reasons why we're living a major mental health crisis all over the world, because capitalism tears us apart instead of bringing us together. We're lonely because community is no longer encouraged as it once was. Human nature is togetherness and dependability, not gouging each other's eyes out for some gold coins we can hoarde.

[shreyassingh]

"Greed and selfishness is a part of human nature"
"So let's create a society that solely promotes these qualities."

[purplehaze]

I've never been fond of people arguing that humans are "evil" by nature in _any_ context, but especially so in cases where such is being used to shut down systemic change from occurring.

[strippinheat]

The funny thing is that I grew INTO Socialism in My late 30s. Once you've experienced enough of the bad you start to realize that there's just a better way to do most things. People doing bad things is more often a consequence of their conditions caused by capitalism, so getting rid of the need to be greedy, lie, or cheat to survive brings out the best in people. Think about the times when you wanted to help someone but couldn't because you didn't have time due to needing to go to work or how you couldn't donate because you barely make rent. All "survival instincts" only caused by capitalism, not nature.

[SirNotAppearing]

“We live in capitalism. Its power seems inescapable. So did the divine right of kings. Any human power can be resisted and changed by human beings. Resistance and change often begin in art, and very often in our art, the art of words.”

― Ursula K. Le Guin

[Erde]

From a worker's point of view, it's always been difficult to understand why companies neglect to cross-train. I believed it was because of cost, but more and more, it's because keeping the knowledge of how a system works as obscure as possible gives corporate leverage.

[gregorynuttall]

I grew up in a religious community that also believed that humans were naturally evil and selfish. Since leaving, I've learned that people are mostly kind. Whatever selfishness they do exhibit is usually because they're in a desperate situation and have needs that are going unfulfilled, not because they are trying to gain advantage over someone else for no good reason.

[vivianriver]

I like the way you compare the privilege of the capitalist class to "the divine right of kings". It goes to show, as is printed on the Despair Inc poster, that "Just because you've always done it that way doesn't mean it's not incredibly stupid."

[commanderlopan]

I'm in the process of starting a co-op with a collective of others in my field. I was discussing this with a friend who fashions themselves as a "libertarian". He asked who we got to run the company and I explained that we're holding an election for our executive and management posts from within our current pool of members and that it comes with an annual review and option to hold another election (there is also a removal clause). He got all weird and said, "yeah, but what if the guy turns out to be a dictator that ruins the operation?" He said it like a "gotcha" moment, like a "checkmate socialist!" He unironically, seriously didn't comprehend that in a capitalist model you literally NEVER vote for your bosses or execs. Your boss is already a literal dictator that you have to obey under threat of unemployment and therefore starvation / homelessness. I'm really starting to think that capitalists are just beyond dense. Hopelessly stupid and irreparably oblivious.

[suchetachatterjee]

I always say that human nature is like water. It assumes the shape of the container you put it into. In this case, the container is the economic system in which humans have to survive. I’m capitalism, humans have to be greedy and selfish because that’s the container they’re adapting to.

[jamesalder]

I am a 43 year old army veteran. And if growing old is proof that you realize how the world works... well they are right. I am fed up with the way the nation "works". Change is needed. Enormous change. But so many people are dependent on this system, I am not sure it could change.

[ienjoycardboard]

I often get caught up explaining to people that historically humans are not selfish. We wouldn't have survived as a species otherwise. But pointing out to people that even if someone is greedy and selfish they're gonna have a tough time convincing others to do what they want under socialism is a lovely argument I had never considered. Thanks for your videos JT and providing us with more tools for the struggle.

[richardbuckharris]

"John Burroughs has stated that experimental study of animals in captivity is absolutely useless. Their character, their habits, their appetites undergo a complete transformation when torn from their soil in field and forest. With human nature caged in a narrow space, whipped daily into submission, how can we speak of its potentialities?" ~ Emma Goldman

[stonetrouble]

If individuals are selfish and greedy by nature, it becomes even more important to have social systems that counter this destructive behavior.

[davidalvarez]

"Competition is the law of the jungle, but cooperation is the law of civilization" Peter Kropotkin

[yahiiia]

A yes, the species that developed complex language and emotional recognition patterns to enable superior cooperation is the one that needs competitive systems against its own species.

[tgcid]

The other thing I keep thinking about regarding greed and false equivalency, is the equation of our greed to their greed. They are not the same, even if you want to call our desperation greed. It's true both the rich and the poor are desperate for wealth and resources, but the scale and character are entirely different. Poor people are greedy for spare time, comfort, and peace of mind while the rich are not content with owning most of the wealth of the earth.

[Anmeteor]

"You'll grow out of it" I was told at 14 years old when trying to duscuss socialism with my parents. Now, at 58 I am referred to as "the ultra left". Actually as a label I prefer Anarchist/Syndicalist. But I hate labels as they are used to distract and divide us.

[theshunzun]

I think the best part of about this channel is how there’s a consistent theme that a democratic economy is a better structure to run society. What we have now is controlled and dominated by so few people-it’s no wonder things are getting worse. Thanks for making your videos JT!

[Generic_]

It's crazy to think people think corporate overlords and immense wealth inequality, as well as rampant poverty are all human nature.