[idoh]

Thanks mindcrime, that's a really interesting answer. It is fair to say that some things normally associated with capitalism depend on growth, e.g. equities.

On the topic of corporations, I can see the point about liability. There could be a world without corporations, and instead use partnerships with pass through liability. I wouldn't take that trade though, because if anything the world needs more innovation, and for the most part the liabilities are financial, and the counterparties are aware of the risk. Some liabilities do seem unfair to limit liability, for example environmental ones, because it hurts people who never agreed to assume any of the risk.

[mindcrime]

It is fair to say that some things normally associated with capitalism depend on growth, e.g. equities.

Yeah, I think that's true. If people expect perpetual growth, that seems to imply constantly growing revenue, which would seem to imply the need for constantly growing consumption, which would seem to imply the need for perpetual population growth, etc. My only point is that capitalism, in "textbook form" at least, doesn't specifically demand that. Now, maybe it's an inevitable emergent aspect of capitalism... I honestly don't know. Whether or not that is the case would be an interesting thing to research.