I know it is just a game but still...
in Sid Meier's Civilizations computer game (and possibly the board game of same name too for all I know)
if you switch to capitalism, you increase the profitability of the economy. The government makes more money.
But if capitalism is so good, how come the player exerts control of his or her civilization through command economics?
You tell the workers in each city what to make - a city wall, granary, mines or irrigation, etc. For some reason, even basic stone age tribes have money and the player uses money to hire workers to build up improvements. This is not capitalism - it is government enterprise or communism.
Under real conditions, capitalism or even just one based on real human nature - the leader of a civilization would have much looser control of what is going on.
No real-life government can do everything. Groups of workers, business people et. would have to be involved and they would have liberty to do something of their own desires.
If a business wants to make money producing perfumes not gunpowder, how can you stop it under Capitalism?
If you have Capitalism and you need the economy to employ people, how do you stop a corporation from using its money to produce robot dogs, instead of employing people?
You can't, and that whole thing is why Capitalism in many ways does not address social needs. And it is why the computer game uses Command economics. You the player tell each component of society what to do.
A single person wields total power. You can't have that and Capitalism.
You can't have that and human liberty and freedom.
Let's not pretend that Capitalism is such a great thing as the game shows.
The game actually shows how Command economies are mean, lean and connected with basic needs of the society.
No building of high rises (such as on Whyte Avenue) while the world is driving quickly toward climate change.
A player co-ordinating a civilization at this stage in the game's story-arc would not put money into freeways or self-driving cars or robot dogs or gondolas but address the deteriorating environmental situation and the pandemic.
It could be we need a more command economics and less capitalism if we are to get through the next couple decades.
It is not just me saying this - it is also the Civilization computer game!
Funny how in Alberta it was the Conservatives in government that were most in favour of Capitalism, and it was the many small small shopkeepers and business people who were more socialist - understanding that if workers are paid better and there is less unemployment, there are more consumers.
If corporations replace workers with robots, who will buy goods and services?
Who will drive the cars to burn the gasoline Alberta is so preoccupied with producing?
Thanks for reading.
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