TMTKI II- Capitalism and Value

      One topic that I have had an increasing interest in over the past couple of years is the effect that our capitalist economy/government/society has on the American mind and its ability to make value judgments.  It cannot be denied that the values people hold near-and-dear are shaped in part by the society they are in; even those who reject the values of their society are shaped by them because of their very standing against them.  To come to a better understanding of the American mindset, of which I and most, if not all, of the people who will ever read this, are a part, I think it is crucial to elucidate the force that has potentially the strongest pull on its workings, capitalism.  Before I delve too deeply (or, most likely, superficially) into this subject, I first want to add the disclaimer that I am not a socialist or a Marxist of any sort.  I simply want to enter in to an honest critique of the workings of the capitalist framework of our society from a (hopefully) thoughtful and observant perspective.  While I do believe Marx had some insightful points when it comes to the downfalls of capitalism, I also believe that some people do best to avoid system-building and stick to system-criticizing.  With that said, I hope it is safe to move on to a critique of American capitalism.
      Adam Smith, in The Wealth of Nations, describes capitalism as seeking to harness the "invisible hand" that is moving society at that time.  By this it is meant the primary urge or desire being manifest by a sufficient number of people (aka "demand").  Now, there is a fine line between harnessing the invisible hand and creating the invisible hand, but ultimately I think capitalism attempts both quite successfully.  The ideal capitalist is the one who sees what people want (or "should" want) and gives it to them (for only $19.99!).  It is assumed that whatever people want is whatever is best for them and for the society/economy.  I think this alone is a dangerous and questionable tenet, but the indictment does not end here.  Moving to my point about value-perception, it is clear to me that there is a means by which capitalists measure the value of things within their framework: the almighty dollar.  It can be seen here that capitalism is not just an economic system, but a philosophy of life and power that sees the one with the most dollars as the one who is top-dog.  Certainly capitalism is not as oppressive as communism or fascism, but there is a degree of enslavement to the dollar that we all seem to be susceptible to.  In the capitalist framework, it is easy to value everything in terms of dollar signs.  The problem with this is that the amount of money something is worth is totally constructed by those who institute the framework in the first place.  Sure, it is a good thing to save money, but who decides whether something should be worth more or less money?  Ultimately, the entire system of capitalism has to come back to making money, which is the very reason why I question it.  The measurement of value and power in terms of currency fails to grant inherent value to anything except for power.  The pure capitalist cannot really say that anything is good except for having money, which is a means to power--power to do whatever you want.  This is a point that led Max Scheler to hold that capitalism implies a value-relativism.  He saw that the entire purpose of capitalism is to discover what people want and give it to them through the medium of currency.  Supply and demand determines what does or does not have value.  But, the very thing that determines this supply and demand is the fickle yearnings of the human soul.  Therefore, the best capitalist is the one who either sees what people want, or can make people want.  The whole point is to gain power through the power of exploitation and the medium of currency so that one can do whatever floats one's proverbial boat.  Sounds a lot like Nietzsche to me.  Now, you may be quaking in your boots with fury for such an indictment against good old America, but I think this criticism is valid and warrants the attention of those who care about values other than power and control.  It is true that there are laws that govern our society, but do they stem purely from a moral perspective, or are they simply "what the people want," another way to satisfy their needs and obtain power?  It may be a mixed bag, but one certainly does not have to look far to see potential places where this relativistic, power-thirsty worldview has ingrained itself in the national psyche.  The pornography industry is booming in America, and our food is fraught with unnatural, harmful chemicals.  The medical industry is truly an industry.  Farm animals are treated as if they had no ability to feel pain and no intrinsic worth whatsoever.  What is the justification for all of this?  "It's what people want (or need)."  "We can sure make a lot of money."  I believe this is source of many of the problems in our society, and I think that a distancing from the values of pure capitalism is necessary in order to recover (or perhaps gain for the first time) moral integrity for our country.

Peace be with you,
  William