| Without power you can change nothing.
Power is the ability to do work, this doesn't solely come from money but money is in a way, a form of stored work deferred in time. Banks and finance isn't inherently evil but banks that don't optimise the allocation of capital will have less capital and so matter less.
Much like in Norm chompskys Manafacturing consent, there is no need for evil actors. The system rewards particular things and that leads to a series of incentives. What would the "Moral" activity of smart people be?
Say you create some simple definition of the most moral action and run with it.
Would improving the worlds access to knowledge (Google) not be a part of that?
Would connecting communities (Facebook) not be a part of that?
Would allowing small sellers of nice products to sell without the hassle of the logistics of online sales not be a part of that (Amazon)?
Would creating original media content not beholden to the demands of advertisers not be a part of that (Netflix)? Would creating the best expression of the mobile device by integrating the hardware and software giving as many people as possible access to leading technology without them having to understand much with regards to the technicalities (I guess that's the apple way?) Would optimising the allocation of capital so that people can have things before they can afford them not be a part of that? The facilitation of the dream of having it all now while you are young enough to enjoy it rather than saving up for a retirement where you then have a stroke so can do anything with the money you saved. (The situation my grandfather ended up in)
Facilitated by the finance industry. Sure these companies are not monistries. (Although were the preists in those always so angelic) They are not charities, but unlike charities they generate (correctly or not) the resources to aim at their goals. If a super smart person wanted to target the dreamy goals these companies claim to address but had a better way to address them, what would that way be? How can you change the world if you do not have the power to allocate capital?
The answer is you can't. |