Re: Re: neomercantilism, trade

["Ian Murray" <seamus2001@xxxxxxxx>]

----- Original Message -----
From: "David Shemano" <dshemano@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: <pen-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, August 31, 2001 4:26 PM
>Subject: [PEN-L:16553] Re: neomercantilism, trade


> Charles wrote:
>
> <<<Yes, but the claim is that with the abolition of private
> property it will be possible to abolish poverty and war. There will
> always be new forms of struggle for humanity, with costs and risks,
> but everyone can be free of material want, at least as compared with
> how it is now.>>>
>
> Why would abolishing private property free people from material
want?  I can
> understand the theoretical argument that abolishing private property
would
> free people from poverty, but is not material want relative and
unrelated to
> absolute levels of wealth?  Do not many wealthy people act as if
they want
> even more material wealth?  And is that not a constant across
history,
> culture, and economic system?
>
> David Shemano
==============
Not that we need to embrace asceticism by any means, by why was/is
Buddha the exception and not the 'rule' in dealing with the psychology
of wealth?

Ian