Against Capitalism

Rating:
Summary: I disagree but I still recommend this book
Review: As a libertarian, I found this book challenging, provocative, well-argued and thorough. Of course, as a libertarian, I also found it to be completely wrong about everything, but I would still recommend this book to any libertarian, conservative or free-marketeer who is up for an honest intellectual challenge rather than the parade of straw-man fallacies, circular reasoning and populist rhetoric usually trotted out by the left.

Rating:
Summary: There Is An Alternative
Review: In the aftermath of the failure of Soviet socialism, we hear over and over again that there is no alternative to capitalism. Schweickart shows, with great clarity, wide learning, and an accessible prose style, that this is not true. His alternative is a market economy in which the workers run the factories, farms, and offices. What is is that capitalists contribute merely by owning the productive assets, in virtue of which there might be a point in letting them take the profits? Schweickart answers: _nothing_, and backs it up. Workers can perform all the managerial and entrepreneurial functions themselves. He develops a model in which they do, based on empirical research into worker cooperatives. The economy has a large state sector for finance, but uses markets to allocate scarce resources and satisfy demand. Schweickart shows that this would be more just, more democratic, and more efficient than either libertarian laissez-faire capitalism or welfare state capitalism. He also tries to show, rather less successfully, that his economic democracy is somehow in the Marxist tradition, despite Marx's dislike of markets. But whether one finds this argument as plausible as his argument for the dispensibility of capitalism is really immaterial. Schweickart has articulated a compelling and practicable alternative to capitalism, something that would be different, better, and worth fighting for. The book is essential reading for anyone thinking about economic alternatives.

Rating:
Summary: A good argument for economic democracy
Review: One previous reviewer seems to not have even read the book, but i want ot reiterate what has been stated previously: this book is not about soviet communism, it is about something new called economic democracy. every reviewer should realize this when reading other reviews that deride this book by applealling to the stalinistic soviet union.

the first chapter discusses marxian arguments against capitalism. the only real original writing in the first chapter is at the end when he attacks nozick, an argument that i think is particularly damning to nozicks argument; unless youre a are pure libertarian who doesnt really care about the bad stuff that other people suffer.

after that, marx doesnt come into the discussion until the last chapter where he tries to align his theory with marxism. like mentioned previously, i am not sure if he sells his case.

one last thing. as much as i loathe those previous reviewers who appeal to the soviet union to make a case against socialism, i must admit that even schweickart's central real world example of economic democracy has some flaws. a little bit of research will turn up that the socialist paradise of the mondragon cooperative has recently discovered that there were some serious corruption problems occuring within the system. that said, schweikart's book is still an excellent piece of social philosophy.

Rating:
Summary: Another book for the blind
Review: Question: What's the difference between the author - David Schweickart and Karl Marx?

Karl Marx can be given one break - he didn't live to see the days his communist ideals would be put into action. The author has no excuses.

After a century we can now list the accomplishments of communism:

* Famine in the Soviet Union after collectivizing agriculture: millions dead

* Millions executed during Stalin's rule: 10 million dead

* Famine under Mao: 10 - 30 million dead

* Pointless civil wars death and suffering in dozens of countries in 5 continents to install communist regimes: millions dead

* An economic system that remained inferior to capitalist countries (in fact communist countries were losing even more ground to capitalist countries as years past) and kept a majority of people much less materially well off than their counterparts in capitalist nations - take North and South Korea; East and West Germany; China and Taiwan.

* Horrendous pollution - National geographic did an expose on Siberia "the most polluted place on the planet"

* No freedom

Estimates range from 50 to 100 million dead and human suffering in the billions, oppression and destroyed ecosystems - what would you call this - EVIL - and what would you call people who support this - EVIL.

For all its shortcomings capitalism has helped rise millions to hire levels of economic well being. On economics alone capitalism for outstrips communism.

Rating:
Summary: Do not read this unless you are ready to think for yourself
Review: The first thing to understand about this work is that Schweickart is most definitely NOT advocating Soviet socialism as an economic system. (Neither was Marx for that matter, but that's another story). If the extent of your logical reasoning is to think that anyone who dares argue against capitalism must be proposing Stalinesque reform, then this book is not for you. On the other hand, if you, like many others, have the gnawing feeling inside that something is not quite right with the proliferation of American-dominated global capitalism, Schweickart offers both explanations and alternatives.

The strongest part of the book is the opening few chapters, in which the author systematically dismantles all of the economic arguments for capitalism. And he does so not by resorting to hackneyed left-wing rhetoric, but with careful economic analysis. (Personally, I would have appreciated a more extensive discussion of the moral arguments for opposing capitalism, such as that it is antithetical to the principles of Christianity, but I understand why Schweickart chose not to go this route.) I recommend a detailed reading of this section - take notes, think critically, visit other sources to understand contrary viewpoints.

The rest of the book, although excellent, does not quite live up to the opening. Scheickart sets forth his view for an alternative, which he calls economic democracy. But it would be impossible for any text to create a completely satisfactory economic system. The issues need to be discussed, different ideas need to be tried - this is not criticism, just reality.

Schweickart will provide you with food for thought, whether you are a curious student just beginning to question the pseudo-science passing as economics in most universities, or a serious reformer looking for a fresh persepctive. Highly recommended.