> Capitalism is at core a very mean and > competitive world view. That isn't a criticism ... it is just better to > see what is.
Capitalism only works when people are altruistic. Socialism and communism fail when people are not self centered enough. There is indeed an ethical theory that elevates self interest over public interest and there are some positives to it. Most people know best what their needs are and will pursue them with more interest and skill than someone else will. With people taking care of themselves, society as a whole benefits. Excessive greed destroys capitalistic societies, though in a communist or socialist society a healthy amount of greed helps. This is getting away from what the discussion is about though. The discussion seems to be about identity theft and online shopping. The current system of social security numbers, debit cards that are pin activated, and Paypal is still problematic. National ID cards that are not easily faked might help reduce fraud and illegal immigration too, but that is another issue. On the other hand, if National ID cards are faked... Excessive self interest will destroy a Democratic Republic before any external force will. Digital commerce is clearly not safe enough yet with identity theft being a huge problem costing billions I believe. _______________________________________________ PLUG mailing list PLUG@lists.pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug