[AndrewKemendo]

There isn’t one. Whether you intended to or not this is a very typical capitalist strawman that claims that because central planning failed (of course it did), we can say literally nothing about value and therefore anything goes to the lowest bidder.

The problem is that as it stands, the set of oligarchs currently holding their positions (see recent work from Stanford etc showing the US at least is clearly and oligarchy) are the ones doing all the planning.

However it’s in the form of “investments” and the accompanying regulatory capture.

So this idea of a “free market” with perfect information not only isn’t possible - as economists agree - but it’s not even DESIRABLE as power law in such a system dictates that profit will ALWAYS be the paramount virtue subordinate to any other.

[nickpp]

Of course there is. We are using it every day to decide how much a loaf of bread and an hour of work should cost. We couldn't function without it and economies that tried to abolish it failed to even feed their citizens.

No one other than ivory towers academics is dreaming about "perfect information". The rest of the world is using those "imperfect" free markets just fine.

[AndrewKemendo]

Dude what? You personally have effectively zero control of pricing other than deciding what to buy from a small group of planners

Those planners are called “buyers” and they choose the products that live on the shelves and in online shops.

They don’t put anything for sale on your behalf, everything everywhere all the time is meant to push you into making a purchasing decision that is marginally related to your personal best interest.

Nobody asked for a Dorito taco yet these companies successfully have slowly propagandized millions of people into thinking that this collection of sugar fat and starch at massive scale is a good decision for society and we just sit back and pretend like people are evaluating these products equivalently with their best substitute.

[nickpp]

Read up on the Law of Supply and Demand. I evaluate countless products every day, with an incredible diverse offering from huge box stores to tiny mom&pops and farmer's markets.

I have never heard of somebody being made to buy those Dorito tacos. Do you think you know better than millions of people? Are they the ones being brainwashed while you are the only one with a clear perspective?