The anti-utilitarian nature of economic equality.

[theapportioner]

Originally Posted by The One and Only...

Consider this. Throughout all of human history, man has always desired for more than what he has.

Even if desire were not infinite, can you concieve of it ending anytime soon? And what, pray tell, if you are like me and believe that desires are latent in the mind from birth, sort of system will lead to the end of desire the quickest?

Utterly ridiculous on all counts. First, you skirt my question. And once you have something, you no longer desire it. Desire is not additive in the way you have proposed. And you proposed that DESIRE FOR CERTAIN OBJECTS are innate. This idea is so goddamn laughable, it needs no more explication. Your concept of 'human nature' is totally, utterly confused. Short of physical modification of human brains, desire won't end - we will always desire what we LACK. It does not follow that creating more objects of desire (capitalism does this) leads to more happiness. On the contrary, capitalism works as people have new wants and needs. Neverending chain of desire production. For capitalism to grow, desire for new things has to be created. If everyone were content, capitalism would be dead.

Think of it this way. Capitalism, as a system, can only correspond to already existing desires to make a profit. In order to find out if a good is desired, it uses quantitative analysis in the form of polls, recent trends, and sometimes even common sense. If the data shows a high possible profit, it creates the item.

Bullshit. Total crap. First of all, the latter part of this quote doesn't follow from the former. And again, there is no 'preexisting desire' for a new product, say the newest fashion. We are introduced to it via advertisements and such. Advertisements implant the idea, the desire in one's head (one could use the word 'meme' here). These new products are desired because they fall into existing social conventions - a need to 'look cool' or 'be up with the latest fads', and so on. The ads tell us that this is the way to do it. Once again, your concept of 'human nature' is ridiculous (I don't even understand why you call it this). Desire for something is CREATED.

The only thing you have left in your defense is that ideas create desire. If so, what, pray tell, is your solution? To end all ideas? Have fun with that. I don't think humanity would find it very enjoyable.

Futhermore, I again ask: why is the creation of desire a bad thing? I desire much, but I do not lose any pleasure because of it. Yet I know that if those desires were filled, I would be much happier.

You are so far into dialetical materialism that you have become blind to reality.

Creation of desire itself isn't necessarily bad. Capitalism, however, is a neverending source of desire production. Though I do not deny that capitalism has its valuable points, always desiring cannot be good for human mental health. Capitalism thrives as long as peoples' desires are NEVER filled. NEVER.