Limbs are meant to be walked out on jbe! And yours truly is stretching out far! :-)
Ok, now let me see if I can paint an image so wonderful, so pure, so clear and so beautiful you will immediately agree. :-)
res-< Chimpanzees, I gather, can be taught to recognize substitutions, so presumably could be taught to recognize paper money and coin as banana substitutes (if you wanted to bother teaching them to do so).
A chimpanzee may imitate someone exchanging metal disks for bananas, but he cannot intellectually initiate and carry through a business deal. He can not predict whether a customer will buy something or for how much. Economic exchange takes place only after thinking human beings will it.
One would have supposed that a philosophy of secular humanism, recognizing no authority, would be naturally drawn to the world of money and power. One would have expected the political Left to excuse what it calls the "greed" of capitalism and to recognize it as nothing other than "Darwinian law" applied to the life of modern man. Yet, this does not appear to be possible. Something as spiritual as commerce simply does not effectively coexist with socialism. Why?
As I said before the world still awaits a society that has embraced atheism and also operates a successful free market.
After all, whether a man gives his money away frivolously or invests it wisely, whether he hoards it or shares it with others less fortunate, depend on his character and on his moral makeup. No wonder that the science that seeks to predict these things, "economics" is known as the dismal science. How people relate to money depends mostly on the state of their spirit.
That is why we take pride in placing "In God We Trust" upon our currency. We do this as a daily reminder of the important bind we have toward our spiritual nature, and toward eachother.
Or are you arguing that the "atheist" is ipso facto an impaired human being, someone lacking values, appreciation of the higher things of life, etc., and so will be a "bad" (i.e., dishonest) businessman?
Oh no you don't! Don't try to tangle me in that one. :-)
I'm speaking only on the aggregate level. Not toward individuals, especially individuals imbued with the values of Judeo-Christian ethical norms. Though they would never admit it. <vbg>
Michael |
