The Communist/Capitalist/Physicist |
I claim to be a Communist/Capitalist. It gets attention and takes most people
completely by surprise. Most consider it an oxymoron, but I’ll explain later.
I was recently talking to delightful female Mensan lawyer. She claimed that
studying law was great training in rational thinking. She went on to say it
might be too great, in that it resulted in lawyers who could defend either side
regardless of its basic merit.
I maintain that studying Science has similar benefits beyond just learning stuff.
It forces careful thinking just like law does. But in Science we always have
the constraints of physical reality. God (Nature) is literally our judge. If
you’re wrong the bridge collapses or the airplane crashes.
This critical thinking can be applied far beyond what is normally considered
the realm of Science.
So back to the schizophrenic communist/capitalist. These two philosophies
do seem to be in conflict but it recently occurred to me that there is a fascinating
analogy in physics; the Wave/Particle nature of light. For hundreds of years
physicists have pondered the conflicted properties of light.
When light travels it behaves mostly like a wave. It bends around corners.
It adds and subtracts on occasions. Yes, two beams of light can be combined
to cause darkness. These properties can be precisely quantified by treating
light much like waves in water. But when light interacts with matter it behaves
more like particles. It pushes things. That’s why a comet’s tail points away
from the Sun. In interactions with matter the facts can be better described
by the particle theory.
The Wave and Particle models work well in different areas and have led to
terms such as Wavelets. Being a proponent of the wave theory does not preclude
one subscribing to the particle theory.
The CommuCap philosophy works too. It’s a matter of using the “appropriate”
model for the circumstances.
A starving illiterate peasant in the depths of Africa would be little helped
by the sudden adoption of capitalism. His immediate need is for food, shelter
and basic health care. Capitalism and free enterprise may come later - maybe
much later.
The typical American’s needs are clearly different. He embraces the opportunity
to start his own business, get rich and become independent.
Both are right. But the appropriate model is different for each situation.
I believe our major error is that we presume that our system is “the best one”
for everyone, NOW. I like our system too - I’ve enjoyed running my own business
for thirty years. Eventually I expect others will evolve into similar systems
(and for ours to become much improved). This will take time.
For a reality check consider how the Russian crisis resulted from “instant capitalism”. On the other hand China seems to be making a steady transition from communism to capitalism. MikeJohnson@home.com 602-956-0180