Monday, June 22, 2020

Surely, India practices ethics of Dharma?

"The rising concern over the uneven distribution of the fruits of capitalism forewarned of a future when capitalism would eventually need saving from itself," wrote Prof Amit Kapoor and Harshula Sinha. Any alternative system may not "eliminate these problems as long as individuals do not change their motivations and practices, and we might end up with neither equality not efficiency. The solution instead lies in reworking the ethics underpinning capitalism." The Hindu principle of Dharma is based on including the community at large whereas capitalism is based on the Western concept that "puts the individual at the center". "Liberalism, political doctrine that takes protecting and enhancing the freedom of the individual to be the central problem of politics," says the Encyclopedia Britannica. "In the United States liberalism is associated with the welfare-state policies of the New Deal program of the Democratic administration of Pres Franklin D Roosevelt, whereas in Europe it is more commonly associated with a commitment to limited government and laissez-faire economic policies." "The largest corporations have reached the pinnacle because of the toil of its employees, who are sold the idea of corporate slavery as a prerequisite for success." "The resentment of the super-rich is probably not simply envy," wrote Noah Smith. "It likely has to do with notions of fairness." Tech billionaires provide new services for the people and athletes and entertainers provide entertainment but "about 38% of Americans billionaires inherited at least a substantial part of their fortune". The concept of "maximizing shareholder value" is at the root of widening income inequality, wrote Joe Nocera. "It explains why so few companies subsidize the local symphony or art museum any more. It is why drug prices have risen so obscenely, why airlines have made flying such a miserable experience and why wages have remained stagnant even as profits have soared." "Thirty years ago, economist William Baumol suggested that the future of capitalism might well belong to unproductive businesses, which use power and influence to profit without necessarily benefiting society," wrote Mark Buchanan. Such concerns are legitimate but the great danger is that in countries like India politicians use them to justify repressive policies in the name of helping the poor. India is the only country in the world where companies are required by law to spend 2% of profits on social projects. During the coronavirus-induced lockdown the government ordered companies to continue to pay workers for three months even though production was shutdown. The order was withdrawn probably for fear of mass bankruptcies and consequent unemployment. However, Prof Kapoor's critique of capitalism is irrelevant to us because India is a socialist country with Socialism written into the preamble of the Constitution, where inequality can be seen from space. Capitalism creates inequality where some people are obscenely rich, whereas socialism creates equality in poverty. Politicians and civil servants are rich. 

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