and Adam Smith was arguing through this reasoning that the people of the world would be better off, as well as their bosses, if businesses were in competition rather than having the state an immobile hierarchy based on hereditary inheritences. ultimately, this comic presents what BOTH Smith and Marx had to say about capital within a capitalist society: that ownership of the means of production is the ultimate source of power. what Marx struck on, though i would argue less well than his anarchist contemporaries, or his indigenous and Black contemporaries, is that the top class in a classist society does not hoard the means of production through greed, but through cruelty justified through greed. Adam Smith, ultimately, is an early reformer/incrementalist. there are a few things he got right, but a lot of stuff he got wrong. i don’t think just because Adam Smith said somthing is a reason to discredit that thing
Socialism however is a post-capitalist and post-industrialization ideology in general, and the comic depicts a medieval knight and presumably medieval economy.
There are primitivist socialists but they’re very much a minority. Marx specifically for example presumed that socialism would require a capitalist society that is overturned by the development of class consciousness.
You’re pointing at the comic and saying “but that’s capitalism” and, sure, but it’s also the foundational concepts of most socialism. Socialists just disagree on who should own the machines, everyone agrees that machines make work more productive.
TL;Dr socialism developed after Smith’s work and incorporates his insights even if disagrees on certain aspects
and Adam Smith was arguing through this reasoning that the people of the world would be better off, as well as their bosses, if businesses were in competition rather than having the state an immobile hierarchy based on hereditary inheritences. ultimately, this comic presents what BOTH Smith and Marx had to say about capital within a capitalist society: that ownership of the means of production is the ultimate source of power. what Marx struck on, though i would argue less well than his anarchist contemporaries, or his indigenous and Black contemporaries, is that the top class in a classist society does not hoard the means of production through greed, but through cruelty justified through greed. Adam Smith, ultimately, is an early reformer/incrementalist. there are a few things he got right, but a lot of stuff he got wrong. i don’t think just because Adam Smith said somthing is a reason to discredit that thing
edit: wrote cooperation where i meant competition
Yesm. I should have said the father of economics not capitalism. And I see now the whole dragon hoarding wealth part flew right over my head
Well, he’s seen as both.
Socialism however is a post-capitalist and post-industrialization ideology in general, and the comic depicts a medieval knight and presumably medieval economy.
There are primitivist socialists but they’re very much a minority. Marx specifically for example presumed that socialism would require a capitalist society that is overturned by the development of class consciousness.
You’re pointing at the comic and saying “but that’s capitalism” and, sure, but it’s also the foundational concepts of most socialism. Socialists just disagree on who should own the machines, everyone agrees that machines make work more productive.
TL;Dr socialism developed after Smith’s work and incorporates his insights even if disagrees on certain aspects
my undercooked take is that adam smith was pretty woke for his time and place and a lot of what we don’t like about him is:
That might be a little rare but so is a good steak
I think Smith and Marx would have liked to spend some time together at a coffee house, and exchange thoughts on things.
they’d need Douglass to speak some sense to them 🤣