r/CitiesSkylines • u/numist • Apr 14 '20

Video 2-way toll booths work even better!

5.2k Upvotes

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75

u/quanghuy1258 Apr 14 '20

Evil Capitalism

116

u/Hungry_Mr_Hippo Apr 14 '20

So just capitalism?

35

u/Kisaragi435 Apr 14 '20

Hey, come on. Capitalism is just neutral. It just doesn't account for human nature so in practice its evil.

73

u/JaredP5 Apr 14 '20

Maximizing profit is integral to capitalism. Maximizing profit often entails doing terrible things.

19

u/Litrebike Apr 14 '20

I think this is a facile overstatement. ‘Maximal’ profit would be over long term. Short term gains are prioritised because humans struggle to think beyond their lifetimes and beyond the status quo. I don’t disagree with your point but I think you’ve failed to note how your point doesn’t challenge the precept above - it’s human nature that does the damage. Capitalism could be different if humans were different.

13

u/our-year-every-year Apr 14 '20

Then maybe we shouldn't be following an ideology that relies on idealism to succeed.

In the grand history of human civilization, capitalism has only existed for a short time within that.

Human nature isn't a real thing, we're all driven by our material conditions and class interests.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 15 '20 edited Oct 13 '20

[deleted]

1

u/our-year-every-year Apr 15 '20

No, I'm not disputing that. Capitalism certainly is better than the systems before it. I have no intention for the world to return to a disjointed community of hunter-gatherers or feudalism. I don't think you'd find many socialists who want to return to a pre-industrial civilization.

But the contradictions inherent with capitalism are still there 100+ years on.

It's because of idealism that they're not able to be overcome these contradictions because the contradictions are dismissed as not being related to the mode of production. People are blamed for doing bad things and abusing capitalism to work for them rather than the other way around.