Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by pibechorro 1633 days ago
If I build a raft out of driftwood, risk my life in deep water, and bring back nurishment for my family while you starve on land; its to my advantage to help you but its by no means my obligation nor am I better off because of "society". Its not a zero sum game and individual effort is not dependent on an imaginary collective.
1 comments
nucleogenesis 1633 days ago
If you built that raft using plans, materials, and labor of society, then you risk your life to go out to the deep water to get food, then your contribution is just the last bit. To suggest it’s so important that the others involved deserve no spoils of your work (put another way - you say your effort deserves more spoils or sole control of the spoils) - then you’re selfish at the very least (although I’d say you’re among the worst kinds of humans to share society with) and exactly the reason why laws that extract aggressively from the wealthy are the only way to inch capitalism toward something resembling equity for most.
link
germandiago 1632 days ago
That would be true if you get plans, materials and labor for free. What you do is to pay for it under mutual agreement. So you do not contribute the last bit. You contribute in all the chain, because each of those people got what they wanted so that you can build what you wanted.

Your argumentation is incorrect.

By the way, what is equity? If you come spoil me because I make money, what kind of equity is that if you do it to me just because I make money? Equity would be to not spoil anyone. Trying to punish them on the basis that they make money (or that they make little, I do not care) is not equity. It is something else.

link
Mckckdk 1632 days ago
Would you support 99% of your income be extracted because you contributed only the last bit?
link
germandiago 1632 days ago
On top of that it is not true you contributed the last bit. Take a look at my reply. You contribute in all the chain, always.

There is no other way. You are not going to get anything for free in that chain. Every step in the chain, from employing to get products to work to deliver your stuff are paid in one way or another.

link