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Comment by hasenj | Hacker News Reader

It's not as if we live in a purely capitalistic system. In a pure capitalism, there would be no taxes. Yet here we are living in a system where the government takes money from you, specially if you're really rich.

It's not as though any idea that's at odds with capitalism will require "an alternative system". There's not gonna be any change to the system that requires a new theory of economics.

Suppose bitcoins are at odds with capitalism because they're just like gold (yes I know this is ridiculous, but just for argument's sake). What now? Should bitcoiners make a case for an "alternative to capitalism"? No. You will still be able to buy and sell and own property and trade and own factories and rent an office space and build a company and hire employees.

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I agree that we don't live in a purely capitalist system and in fact, I don't like to call it that way as it undermines its meaning. In a truly capitalist system we wouldn't have this discussion at all since there'd be no federal reserve and currencies would be free to compete against each others. In my opinion, Bitcoin (and the gold standard in some ways) is as close to capitalism as it gets.

" As someone else pointed out, in a pure capitalism, we'd have slaves, child porn, thugs for hire, assassination contracts, etc."

No you wouldn't. All of those things are the exact opposite of capitalism, since they prevent voluntary association and threaten body, liberty and property.

So in a capitalist society there will be no pollution?

"as close to capitalism as it gets" is not necessarily a good thing. As someone else pointed out, in a pure capitalism, we'd have slaves, child porn, thugs for hire, assassination contracts, etc.

I just got this idea right now, but I think a pure capitalism will deteriorate very quickly into a dictatorship. All it takes is for someone to accumulate enough military power so that he can take over. Assuming you can buy/sell groups of armed people and/or hire them.

You've got it all wrong. Those things are the antithesis of capitalism. I really don't know where to start... May I suggest you watch this documentary: http://www.freetochoose.tv/

I can summarize.

in a purely free market people won't want to do business with people who violate others' property rights since you have no guarantee they won't violate yours.

traditionally, guarantees against this have been ethnic. "well I know he won't enslave me since the norm is to only enslave blacks, therefore we can both happily profit from the slave trade and are no threat to each other."

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