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To What Extent Should We Let Government Control Our Economy?

In: Social Issues

Submitted By straite
Words 1780
Pages 8
The government’s role in economy has been heavily debated since many generations. Even though the debate have been going on for a very long time, it is still frequently evoked, especially when a financial crisis happen. The views on what roles the government should have in the economy range from capitalism, which is a belief that the economy should be controlled by individuals (hrw ESL dictionary 85), to communism, which is a belief that a social organization such as the state should control economy.(558) Most people adopt a view somewhere between these extremes, yet even those moderate views vary greatly. Because society put emphasis on productivity and profit, most economic systems in the world tend to be oriented toward capitalism instead of communism. Many believe that capitalism is immoral because it is based on profit, which they claim to be the result of egoistic actions. I personally think that it is not the system that is unethical, but more how it is used and what is done with it. It can be compared to a neutral instrument such as a knife, which can be used either to cut food or kill. There is no morality in the knife itself. In this essay, it will be argued that, unlike most beliefs, capitalism is a morally acceptable economic system. To support this claim, three premises will be used. First of all, the market economy on which capitalism is based upon, promotes mutual help and fair exchange. Also, under such a system, when an individual is pursuing his own interests, he is simultaneously increasing the general wealth of his society as well as his own. Lastly, capitalism facilitates exchanges with people outside of our circle of care by dealing with them voluntarily and allows both individuals to profit from the transaction.

In order to accurately evaluate an economic system, one should fully understand how it works as well as its purpose. As it has

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