the_govner
Don Juan
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2008
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Written by a friend on facebook, it's going to be printed for academic publications (in asia) in a few months, he's allowed me to post it whereever I want. Rather similar to those written by the great Interceptor, so I thought you guys would like it. Enjoy!:
Ethics: The awkward kid in Capitalism class
I would like to begin this article (and run-on sentence) by stating that we should have probably realized that there was a bit of a problem with the system when it was decided that students must undergo an entire discipline that deals with the simple usage of our conscience. Our conscience - sometimes referred to as natural law - is one of the few things that is inherent in all of us. Like gravity, it existed before it was discovered. Therefore, having courses dedicated to it assumes that it is something that must be learned. However, based on the reality that this knowledge is inherent, the fact that it must be learned simply means that we had to unlearn it first. And thus, instead of passively struggling through this vicious cycle, we must tap the source that has led us to unlearn this truth that we once knew.
Capitalism – the Overrated-ism
Before I bash the daylights out of capitalism, I would like to let you know that I am typing this article from my Ipad in a beautiful hotel lobby while wearing a wonderfully tailored Italian suit. There is nothing wrong with the fruits of capitalism for as long as it isn’t the center of our universe.
Moreover, I truly believe that capitalism has been our most effective economic system yet. It has allowed us to make great strides with regard to poverty alleviation and international trade. It has allowed us to reach astonishing heights within various fields and disciplines. However, as much as I loathe the fact that I’m about to quote the overly abused line from the Spiderman movie, great power truly DOES come with great responsibility. In the case of capitalism, the incredible freedom that it has provided may have resulted in a mindset that truly exposes its flaws.
Capitalism as a mindset is about nothing but incentives. We live in an incentivized system. We chase pleasure and we avoid pain. We chase success and we avoid failure. As students, we chase good grades and avoid bad ones. In relationships, we chase acceptance and avoid rejection. Every single solitary decision we make is directed toward and based upon the pursuit of a carrot and the avoidance of a stick. We are slaves of duality.
This is the capitalistic mindset. This is the system that raised us and it is a culture that has been accepted. It is so deeply entrenched in our ethos that it almost seems like a universal truth and thus, questioning it seems like an exercise in futility. So brace yourselves my dear audience, for questioning it is what my trustee Ipad and I are about to do.
The Capitalistic Paradox
When capitalism took over as a dominant ideology, it promised to deliver something that the world had never seen before its inception. It guaranteed individuality. This was beautifully timed as man had just recently kicked God to the curb and accepted himself as the center of our universe. Capitalism promised individuality and established this unheard of idea that every man should pursue as much wealth as he possibly could.
Here lies the paradox. By creating a culture that has led almost every man to believe that wealth is what we need to desire, the mindset of capitalism put an end to individuality. We live within a framework where we all want the same things. We chase results. Capitalism, the supposed hero of individuality and diversity, has resulted in a mindset that has led to mass conformity.
Let us look around us (At least in the Asian setting). In the 80s, we were told that banking was the future. In the 90s, the whole world wanted to take up Information technology for there was much to be made in the computer industry. In the last decade, nursing and outsourced jobs took over as the path to milk and honey. In the field of business, most people establish companies and brands based on one simple phrase – “oh this could sell”. Our professional lives have been reduced as a mere means to our desirable ends. Majority of us can admit to the fact that we have chosen the path that provides us with the ‘best results’ and at the end of the day, these paths are nearly identical to everyone else’s. We were raised in this system. We have accepted it as truth and we were never given any genuine alternatives. Fear not dear readers, for these ends that we seek can as well be achieved without necessarily having to focus on them.
The Part Where Ethics Disappears
Within this framework, we are continuously striving to build beautiful houses on sand. We have become so attached to our ends that whenever we momentarily lose our success, pleasure, or wealth, we immediately fall into the opposite states of pain and depression. For as long as our focus is on the fruits of our actions, we will perpetually live in this vicious cycle of pleasure and pain. And as a result of our insatiable desire to remain on the good end of the cycle, we resort to actions that may not exactly be agreeable to our conscience. Unethics is born.
Ethics: The awkward kid in Capitalism class
I would like to begin this article (and run-on sentence) by stating that we should have probably realized that there was a bit of a problem with the system when it was decided that students must undergo an entire discipline that deals with the simple usage of our conscience. Our conscience - sometimes referred to as natural law - is one of the few things that is inherent in all of us. Like gravity, it existed before it was discovered. Therefore, having courses dedicated to it assumes that it is something that must be learned. However, based on the reality that this knowledge is inherent, the fact that it must be learned simply means that we had to unlearn it first. And thus, instead of passively struggling through this vicious cycle, we must tap the source that has led us to unlearn this truth that we once knew.
Capitalism – the Overrated-ism
Before I bash the daylights out of capitalism, I would like to let you know that I am typing this article from my Ipad in a beautiful hotel lobby while wearing a wonderfully tailored Italian suit. There is nothing wrong with the fruits of capitalism for as long as it isn’t the center of our universe.
Moreover, I truly believe that capitalism has been our most effective economic system yet. It has allowed us to make great strides with regard to poverty alleviation and international trade. It has allowed us to reach astonishing heights within various fields and disciplines. However, as much as I loathe the fact that I’m about to quote the overly abused line from the Spiderman movie, great power truly DOES come with great responsibility. In the case of capitalism, the incredible freedom that it has provided may have resulted in a mindset that truly exposes its flaws.
Capitalism as a mindset is about nothing but incentives. We live in an incentivized system. We chase pleasure and we avoid pain. We chase success and we avoid failure. As students, we chase good grades and avoid bad ones. In relationships, we chase acceptance and avoid rejection. Every single solitary decision we make is directed toward and based upon the pursuit of a carrot and the avoidance of a stick. We are slaves of duality.
This is the capitalistic mindset. This is the system that raised us and it is a culture that has been accepted. It is so deeply entrenched in our ethos that it almost seems like a universal truth and thus, questioning it seems like an exercise in futility. So brace yourselves my dear audience, for questioning it is what my trustee Ipad and I are about to do.
The Capitalistic Paradox
When capitalism took over as a dominant ideology, it promised to deliver something that the world had never seen before its inception. It guaranteed individuality. This was beautifully timed as man had just recently kicked God to the curb and accepted himself as the center of our universe. Capitalism promised individuality and established this unheard of idea that every man should pursue as much wealth as he possibly could.
Here lies the paradox. By creating a culture that has led almost every man to believe that wealth is what we need to desire, the mindset of capitalism put an end to individuality. We live within a framework where we all want the same things. We chase results. Capitalism, the supposed hero of individuality and diversity, has resulted in a mindset that has led to mass conformity.
Let us look around us (At least in the Asian setting). In the 80s, we were told that banking was the future. In the 90s, the whole world wanted to take up Information technology for there was much to be made in the computer industry. In the last decade, nursing and outsourced jobs took over as the path to milk and honey. In the field of business, most people establish companies and brands based on one simple phrase – “oh this could sell”. Our professional lives have been reduced as a mere means to our desirable ends. Majority of us can admit to the fact that we have chosen the path that provides us with the ‘best results’ and at the end of the day, these paths are nearly identical to everyone else’s. We were raised in this system. We have accepted it as truth and we were never given any genuine alternatives. Fear not dear readers, for these ends that we seek can as well be achieved without necessarily having to focus on them.
The Part Where Ethics Disappears
Within this framework, we are continuously striving to build beautiful houses on sand. We have become so attached to our ends that whenever we momentarily lose our success, pleasure, or wealth, we immediately fall into the opposite states of pain and depression. For as long as our focus is on the fruits of our actions, we will perpetually live in this vicious cycle of pleasure and pain. And as a result of our insatiable desire to remain on the good end of the cycle, we resort to actions that may not exactly be agreeable to our conscience. Unethics is born.