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"But this isn't a shortcoming in capitalism, it's a shortcoming in human nature."

If you can't get wealthy dumping waste into a river under a different economic system the incentive is gone and it shouldn't happen.

"I'm suggesting parent's definition of capitalism is incorrect."

Maybe, but you made up a definition of capitalism.

Capitalism is not defined as a free exchange of gods. Definitions vary but most of the definitions talk about profit as a motive. Your folksy definition leaves out things like ownership of the means of production, capital and labor.

At any rate, your argument amounts to "I declare discussion of capitalism to be limited to this definition I made up." Encouraging people to argue what words mean in the dictionary just seems like derailment.




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