The Only Way
By Jeremiah D.V. Haynes
Abstract
This essay first takes a brief look into a few the more pronounced problems of the capitalistic system and the morals, which govern it. The essay then turns it critical eye into the system of reform described by Marjorie Kelly in her book The Divine Right of Capital in the attempt to discern whether her “(r)evolution” is sufficient enough to topple the reigning inequities in today’s society. Finally I propose a paradigm shift in the moral code which governs the “drive” of humanity, from ethical egoism to deontological moral theory and outlined a vision of the “utopia” which would result.
Keywords
Deontological Moral theory: Moral theory forwarded by Kant which states as its maxim; “Act so that you treat humanity whether in your own person, or in that of another, always as an end and never as a means only.”
Dylan, Bob: "The poet laureate of rock 'n' roll. The voice of the promise of the '60s counterculture. The guy who forced folk into bed with rock, who donned makeup in the '70s and disappeared in a haze of substance abuse, who emerged to "find Jesus", who was written off as a has-been by the end of the '80s, and who suddenly shifted gears and released some of the strongest music of his career beginning in the mid-'90s.”
– Bob Dylan’s Manager
Capitalism: economic system in which the means of production and distribution are privately or corporately owned, characterized by a “free market” that operates largely outside of state control.
Ethical Egoism: Moral theory which holds that each person ought to pursue his or her self interests exclusively.
Fascism: a system of government marked by centralization of authority under a dictator or cabal in concert with business and the suppression of all opposition through terror and censorship, most commonly accompanied by a bellicose foreign affairs agenda, rampant nationalism, and targeted racism.
Kelly, Marjorie: Author and cofounder/publisher of Business Ethics
The Only Way
In this essay I will explore the problems inherent in the capitalistic system. I will then explore whether or not the system of reform described by Marjorie Kelly in her book The Divine Right of Capital is adequate or whether a more aggressive solution is warranted. I will also explore the moral code capitalism ascribes to and question if it is a suitable engine for the drive of humanity.
I. "It don't count 'less it sells."
The first order of business, so to speak, should be a definition of capitalism e.g. an economic system in which the means of production and distribution are privately or corporately owned, characterized by a “free market” that operates largely outside of state control. Ostensibly this seems like a harmless system, yet when a closer inspection is undertaken, the cracks in the façade proliferate, due mainly to the lack of constraints and inherent greed.
The problems of capitalism are manifold and ubiquitous. In social issues such as the inequality of the distribution of wealth, to the bartering and trading of employees as slaves, capitalisms track record reads like a war crimes indictment at the Nuremburg trials, which incidentally companies like I.G. Farben, Ford, and IBM, to name a few, managed to conveniently sidestep.
Capitalism also has a notorious ecological record in such areas as massive deforestation, global warming, mass species extinction, and pollution of all kinds in the air we breath, and the water which covers over 75% of the earths surface which our existence is dependent upon. At the same time many would argue, “Capitalism promotes growth and wealth. But at what cost does this growth and wealth come, and at whose expense? Who profits if the water is undrinkable? Why the very ones who are poisoning it of course! Kelly cites the case of Texaco, which, drilled in Ecuador for two decades, and dumped four million gallons of contaminated water brought up during the drilling process each day into the Amazon’s rivers and streams. The result was that during the dry season children would come to the clinic doctor “with pus streaming from their eyes and rashes covering their bodies from bathing in the water”(2001, pg.26) As if poisoning children isn’t enough for these economic entities they also conspire with the local governments to privatize the water supplies, and labeled water a commodity in the World Trade Organization. This practice amounts to charging people for the right to live, nothing less. In Bolivia this forced the native people to come down in droves out of the mountains to march, when their complaints weren’t heard violence ensued; “Rocks were thrown, barricades were built, fires were set in the streets; armed police in combat gear fired at the rock-throwing protesters from behind body shields. Many were injured, and a 17-year-old boy was killed”(Kanno 2001). These are just a few examples of many from a system that values greed above all, and the power of the few over the many.
Capitalism has even hijacked democracy and subjugated it into a subservient lapdog. Kelly cites a report which lists the registered state and federal lobbyists for various companies; “Philip Morris had and astonishing 245. At WMX Technologies, the count was 240, and at RJR Nabisco and Dow Chemical, around 100 each”(2001, pg.162). The impact this shadow faction, with greasy hands and deep pockets, has on our so-called democracy is stupendous. The fact is many of these lobbyists are just doling out orders to the senators they bought with their under the table campaign contributions. Kelly goes on to illuminate this problem; “All Americans theoretically have one vote, but unlike the wealthy who own most corporate equity, most of us don’t have hundreds of lobbyists representing our interests”(2001, pg.162). For those of us who can’t be bought, we get steam rolled over, or our votes are conveniently not counted, as was the case in the 2000 presidential election in Florida, and the 2002 national midterm election. As Bob Dylan illuminates, “capitalism is above the law. It don’t count less it sells.” (Dylan 2002)
A diatribe on Capitalism writes itself, and many more eloquent then myself have picked up a pen for this purpose. But before we go any further, I must give capitalism its brief retort. Where would we be without capitalism? Would the industrial and communications revolutions have happened at such a blinding speed were it not for the greed of the companies that fueled them? Is not capitalism a form of freedom closely knit to the American psyche? To all of these defenses I would say emphatically no. In the third section of this essay I shall outline a possible alternative to the selfish greed based system of Capitalism, which would, in my opinion further humanity more rapidly than capitalism ever has without killing it. In the next section I will ascertain whether Kelley’s “(r)evolution” is adequate to reverse the maniacal juggernaut of capitalism.
II. “Masters of War”
KellyÂ’s Book is a very eloquent overview of some of the major flaws inherent in capitalism today. She does an excellent job exposing the visage of the economic aristocracy, the problem with shareholder primacy and the virtual slavery of the employee. She showcases the problems with the connections of wealth and power in politics, and briefly expounds upon the ills of capitalism in the environment. Kelly supports an employee ownership program in which the employees have as much if not more say than the shareholders. She even puts forth the radical idea that shares should have a finite lifespan. When they have paid back and returned to a certain extent, they would simply expire.
Kelly advocates a “marshaling [of] public resolve for change by stirring up a little rebellion” (2001, pg.173). She adds to her justification by quoting Thomas Jefferson; “a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, & as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical”(2001, pg.173). Kelly’s employee rebellion consists of a sort of “pranksters revolt,” which involves forged write in ballots for board elections, a shadow government of the employees, t-shirts with defiant statements on them, and so forth. Kelly admits that exiting employees should pull off these stunts, as they would most likely result in a firing. I find this an interesting if naïve concept. First this type of revolution would take a sort of “waking up” of the working class, which the corporations are quick to squelch. They have broken, gained control, or cowed almost every union, attaining the desired result of making even the concept of unions seems foolish in many workers minds. Those few unions that are strong and stand up for their members, such as the teacher’s unions, are quickly vilified. Using the media, the corporations paint the unions as the bad guys, and the reason for all the ills of the system.
This type of rebellion is inevitably needed, yet not all employees can afford the implications of such an insurrection. Alone this “pranksters revolt” is not panacea for the ills of capitalism, yet interestingly enough, this kind of rebellion is as precursor to a much more serious revolution, an issue Kelly skirts around.
On a larger scale Kelly advocates using the legal system as a tool for change. The war cry of her (r)evolution is: “As it is the right of the people to alter or abolish government, it is the right off the people to alter or abolish the corporations that now govern the world.” Through this system she would invoke the states rights to revoke corporate charters which Kelly claims could be seen as a “warning shot across the bow, a wake up call rather than a tool of governance”(2001, pg.178).
Kelly also advocates a socially conscientious form of investing, where the SEC is pushed for greater social disclosure, and ultimately a change in the rules that regulate corporations. This echoes one of KellyÂ’s most effective arguments; that if corporations are to have the right of a person, they should then be held responsible for their actions like one.
All in all KellyÂ’s ideas are a good starting point, yet I feel they fall short of truly understanding the gravitas of the situation. At a time where capitalistic greed is at an all time high and its tentacles have thoroughly penetrated all pressure points of democracy, I would argue that something far more radical must be done to combat the coming maelstrom.
Few would argue that we are at a critical point in history. The question is not if, but why we are where we are. The recently passed homeland security bill included a last minute insurance bill as an addendum, to help the corporations. This bill in one fell swoop turned America into a fascist state, by desecrating the bill of rights. We have a president who was selected by the privileged rather than elected by the governed. A man who has signed into law a secret government, with the ability to spy on, arrest, detain indefinitely, and kill anyone even suspected of being a “terrorist”, all without trial. This fiat efficaciously transforms him and his cronies into the judge, jury, and executioner all rolled into one “big brother”. As we speak information on each of us is being filtered through Carnivore, an email-siphoning program, to the total information awareness program, who aims to monitor everything. Privacy has gone the way of the dinosaur dragging our democracy with it, all without a sound.
Once the “homeland” has been secured, rest assured that the all Seeing Eye will cast its gaze greedily on the rest of the world. If you need corroboration of what I am saying, look at the back of the dollar bill (novus Ordo Seclorum) and take a look at the official seal for your friendly neighborhood total information awareness program.
My point is simply this, Kelly’s (r)evolution is simply insufficient as we near what I call the event horizon. An event horizon is simply the line at which there is no escape from the gravity of a black hole. What may you ask is the connection? The event horizon is the point at which there is no turning back from a global fascist state. In the near future we will see the advent of this event horizon. That is if we haven’t already passed it while most of us were watching “American Idol”.
At this point I believe a quick review of fascism is in order. Fascism is a system of government marked by centralization of authority under a dictator or cabal in concert with corporations (capitalism) and the suppression of all opposition through terror and censorship, most commonly accompanied by a bellicose foreign affairs agenda, rampant nationalism, and surgically targeted racism. Whether you like it or not this is the path America is heading down.
III. “…But I’m Not the Only One…”
Capitalism unarguably functions inherently on the moral theory of ethical egoism. Ethical egoism holds that “each person ought to pursue his or her self interests exclusively” (Rachels 76). This conception of morality is actually more akin to amorality as it violates the tenants of almost every major philosophy, creed, and religion ever conceived of by man. Its creed can literally be translated into; do unto others as you wish. Even a kindergartener could point out the flaws in this line of reasoning, that is unless their last name is Bush, Rockefeller, Windsor etc.... Yet this ethical egoism is the moral gasoline that fuels the engine, which runs our world.
It is my assertion that the main driving force of humanity cannot forever be greed, as it is unsustainable and unethical. We will simply choke ourselves out of existence and risk becoming a stillborn species in a poisoned womb killed by our own gluttony and waste. I propose that the new moral code for all human institutions hereby become deontological moral theory.
Of all the moral theories deontological moral theory is by far the most defensible. Immanuel Kant defines the deontological moral imperative as; “Act so that you treat humanity whether in your own person, or in that of another, always as an end and never as a means only.” (Racheals 128) Kant’s argument plainly stated then is that it is immoral to treat humans as a commodity as the ethical egoists of capitalism do. Kant therefore believes that the value of a rational human being’s existence is paramount, and that nothing could supersede it.
I would take Kant a step further in including the earth and the animal kingdom as being of intrinsic worth, for as any fourth grader would tell you, the eco system is like a house of cards, kill those below us and we to fall. Therefore my revised moral imperative would read “the driving force for humanity should be the improvement and advancement of all humanity, and the preservation of its birthplace and all her creatures. Treat all as beings of intrinsic worth, worthy of respect”
A humanity that runs on the deontological moral theory could still prosper, and most of the freedoms we still enjoy would carry over, that is except the freedom for elite groups to form that enslave the rest of us. This deontological world need not be without corporations or businesses, yet they should serve humanity rather than vice versa. Businesses should also have a cap on how large they can get with a taxation of 100% past that point, to be doled out among charities and nonprofit organizations that promote the betterment of mankind and the earth. All Businesses should be employee owned, with the CEO making a fraction more than the lowest paid employee. Private citizens also would have a net worth cap, which could only be exceeded by a small amount by those who win prizes, which promote the growth of humanity. The corporation shouldnÂ’t get any bigger than the income of the sum of its employees, which incidentally should also have a limit. There can be no satellite companies, no charities controlled by corporations, and no government/business collusions. The death tax should be Âľ of the total net worth, and include no land, though the inheritors get first chance to purchase it. All accounting should be public knowledge, and an oversight committee comprised of a sort of jury duty for citizens, prominent thinkers, and members of the business community. A deontological world would have no usury, no corporate or government controlled media, and advertisement or corporate sponsorship of any kind.
A deontological “welfare” state would include, free health care, education, shelter, clothing and food and basic utilities, including sanitation, and heating. The yearly allowance given to these citizens should be around ¼ the highest cap personal income. The government shall be a democracy where every vote would have equal weight. The constitution would be intricately laced with human/ecological rights. No private campaign finances would be allowed and all candidates who gain a petition of a certain percentage of the population would get equal campaign funds, and of course there would be iron clad term limits across the board.
The taxes collected from companies, persons, and institutions exceeding their cap, would be redistributed to fund the welfare state, education, the sciences, the arts, the humanities, etcÂ…
The inevitable retort to the feasibility of this deontological revolution would be that it is overtly utopian, a fact which I readily concede, given the ethical egoism of the elite. However, I would argue that the majority of mankind follows ethical systems, which are much closer akin to deontological moral theory than ethical egoism. Therefore all that is needed for the masses to “wake up” from the malaise cast upon them by the ruling class of humanity, is the realization that our current modes of economic, political, and religious thinking are not the only way. We basically out number them a thousand to one, why should they control us?
Why as a species have we cast aside all aspirations of a utopia as impossible idealism, settling only for the “pretty good”? Deontological moral theory lays the groundwork for a more socially conscious enlightened humanity, which strives to evolve in a harmonious way with the environment that spawned it. Moreover it would seem to suggest that this revolution is not only warranted but morally imperative.
***
In this essay I have displayed the problems of the capitalistic system and proposed that a revolution is needed that is beyond the scope of the one that which Marjorie Kelly advocates. I have also proposed a paradigm shift in the moral code that governs the “drive” of humanity, from ethical egoism to deontological moral theory. Finally I have outlined what this world could look like and why ultimately it is amoral not to depose the current system and allow it to continue.
References
Dylan, Bob. (2002) “Masters of war” and “Union Sundown” (
www.bobdylan.com, Official Website. 2002)
Kanno, A. and H. Kanno. (2001) “We hope this arouses your concern and sense of justice: The Commodification of Water and the Privatization of Water Services and Delivery”(
www.saveamericaswater.com/ak091401.html, 2002).
Kelly, Marjorie. (2001) The Divine Right of Capital: Dethroning the Corporate Aristocracy (United States, Berrett-Koehler. 2001)
Lennon, John. (2002) “Imagine” (
www.hollywoodandvine.com/johnlennon/, Official Website. 2002)
Rachels, James, (1993), “The Elements of Moral Philosophy” 2nd edition, “The Heritage Series in Philosophy.” (United States, Mcgraw-Hill, Inc. 1993)
