“Inevitably, people tell me that poor folks are lazy or unintelligent, that they are somehow deserving of their poverty. However, if you begin to look at the sociological literature on poverty, a more complex picture emerges. Poverty and unemployment are part and parcel of our economic order. Without them, capitalism would cease to function effectively, and in order to continue to function, the system itself must produce poverty and an army of underemployed or unemployed people.” PeopleIfsLooksOrderLiteraturePoorPovertyEconomicProduceCapitalismFunctionArmyComplexesFolksCeaseLazyUnemploymentDeservingUnemployedParcelSociologicalUnintelligentEconomic OrderUnderemployed Author:Bob Torres
“Capitalism has brought about the emancipation of collective humanity with respect to nature. But this collective humanity has itself taken on with respect to the individual the oppressive function formerly exercised by nature.” HumanityIndividualTakenCapitalismFunctionCollectivesEmancipation Book:Gravity and Grace Source: Gravity and Grace
“Capitalism had arisen through the misuse and exaggeration of certain rights, notably the right of property - the basis of economic freedom - and the right of contract, which is one of the main functions of economic freedom. Therefore, even under Capitalism, so long as the old principles were remembered it was possible to recall the principles whereby Society had once been sane and well ordered.” WellsLongCertainPoliticsPrinciplesEconomyRightsEconomicCapitalismFunctionBasesPropertyRememberedLiberalismContractsSaneRecallsExaggerationMisuseEconomic Freedom Author:Hilaire Belloc
“Why ... do the myths of America the Hateful take such powerful hold? Because anti-Americanism provides a useful emotional function which goes beyond logic and reaches deep into the darker recesses of the European soul. In centuries past those on the Left who wished to personalise their hatred of capitalism, who sought to make it emotionally resonant by fastening an envious political passion on to a blameless scapegoat people, embraced anti-Semitism. It was the socialism of fools. Which is what anti-Americanism is now.” PeopleSoulAmericaPastPoliticalPassionLeftPowerfulCenturyEmotionalFoolCapitalismHatredLogicFunctionMythSocialismHatefulEnviousAnti SemitismScapegoatRecessAmericanismBlameless Author:Michael Gove
“Capitalism has taught us that markets are always more efficient than hierarchical managerial coordination. But in a situation where those three conditions aren't met, I can't outsource or partner with you because markets don't function in the absence of sufficient information.” I CanThreeSituationConditionsInformationTaughtMetsCapitalismFunctionAbsencePartnersSufficientEfficientTaught UsCoordination Author:Clayton Christensen
“The European Union is effectively a union dominated by the German political and economic elite. Its main function is to serve as a nucleus for financial capitalism and to ease the road for that capitalism. The other functions just irritate everyone: it's undemocratic; decisions are not made by parliament; the European Parliament is not sovereign.” MadePoliticalDecisionEconomicCapitalismFunctionUnionsFinancialEaseElitesSovereignParliamentEuropean UnionNucleus Author:Tariq Ali
“From the smallest necessity to the highest religious abstraction, from the wheel to the skyscraper, everything we are and everything we have comes from one attribute of man - the function of his reasoning mind.” MenMindReligiousHighestCapitalismFunctionReasoningWheelsAttributesSmallestAbstractionSkyscraperFountainhead Author:Ayn Rand
“Modern capitalism needs men who cooperate smoothly and in large numbers; who want to consume more and more; and whose tastes are standardized and can be easily influenced and anticipated. It needs men who feel free and independent, not subject to any authority or principle or conscience-- yet willing to be commanded, to do what is expected of them, to fit into the social machine without friction; who can be guided without force, led without leaders, prompted without aim-- except the one to make good, to be on the move, to function, to go ahead.” MenWantNeedsFeelsMovingForceSocialNumbersLeaderPrinciplesModernSubjectsWillingFitTasteAuthorityConscienceCapitalismMachinesFunctionAimIndependentExpectedLarge NumbersFrictionEasily Influenced Author:Erich Fromm
“The ideal of a perfectly functioning democracy is one person, one vote; the ideal of a perfectly functioning market is one dollar, one vote.It's a hoary superstition that democratically elected governments invariably function as instruments of the collective will.A society in which consumption has to be artificially stimulated in order to keep production going is a society founded on trash and waste.” PersonsGovernmentOrderDemocracyWasteCapitalismIdealsVoteFunctionInstrumentsDollarsProductionsCollectivesSuperstitionsConsumptionTrash Author:Dorothy L. Sayers
“Is still fulfilling its social function in supplying the consumers with more, better and cheaper goods.” StillsSocialCapitalismFunctionConsumersGoodsFulfillingCheaper Book:Planned Chaos Source: Planned Chaos
“To create a world in which life can flourish and prosper we must replace the values and institutions of capitalism with values and institutions that honor life, serve life's needs, and restore money to its proper role as servant. I believe we are in fact being called to take a step to a new level of species consciousness and function.” WorldLifeNeedsBelieveFactsValuesI BelieveInspiringLevelsMoneyConsciousnessStepsRolesHonorCreatingCapitalismFunctionInstitutionsSpeciesServantReplacedFlourishingNext LevelRestoringProsperingSystemic ChangeService And Sacrifice Author:David Korten
“For society to function some kind of reasonable balance has to be stuck between the competing interests of creditors and debtors. Although the mandate of the Bank of Canada was to maintain a delicate balance between encouraging growth and fighting inflation, the Bank opted to focus exclusively on fighting inflation. In doing so it came down heavily in favour of those with financial assets to protect, and against those whose primary need was employment.” NeedsKindFightingGrowthInterestFocusBalanceProtectCapitalismFunctionFinancialStuckEmploymentPrimariesReasonableCanadaAssetsDelicateCompetingFavourInflationMandatesCreditorsDebtors Author:Linda McQuaig