[stale2002]

I don't think you understand.

Yes, they are serving their customers, and they are doing it because it is the selfish, self-optimizing solution.

That's the whole point! You have this awesome outcome, where purely selfish people are still doing the "right" thing.

You don't need nice people in order for people to do nice things.

[ue_]

> You have this awesome outcome, where purely selfish people are still doing the "right" thing.

I don't think it's awesome. Sure, it may not be bad just because of the fact that it is selfish, but I do not think that capitalism produces "awesome", at least compared to theorised alternatives, solutions. In contrast to feudalism, I would agree.

I think that motivation not only sets the tone for the current transaction, but it also influences the sort of relationship that builds over time. While not immediately apparent, it has a great effect on the power dynamic of the relationship. This is readily visible in human to human relationships, and I thnk it can be carried over to the relationship between bosses and employees, the bourgeois and proletariat, etc.