Merge between socialism and capitalism?

Both have their ups, both have their downs. Both work in theory, but in real life it's quite different, depending on what kind of person you are.

So why not just eliminate the downs from both, and merge the positives together?

Just an idea.

Both have their ups, both have their downs. Both work in theory, but in real life it's quite different, depending on what kind of person you are.

So why not just eliminate the downs from both, and merge the positives together?

Just an idea.

You can't eliminate the 'downsides' without also at the same time eliminating the 'upsides'. What you are saying is basically that you can have capitalism without capitalism, that you can have the 'good' of capitalism (economic growth) without it's shadows, extreme poverty, inequality etc.

It is a very basic dialectical point: you cannot have your cake and eat it too. You can't have capitalism without the 'shadows' that are constitutive of its basic functioning, it's inherent logic. Capitalism requires these shadows in order for its continued reproduction, its continued existence.

It generates these shadows in spite of what individuals, even individual capitalists, actually desire, because these shadows are not 'aberrations' or 'perversions' of a system which would (if perfected) provide amply for everyone on Earth, not just materially but also spiritually, these aberrations are fully a part of the logical and necessary functioning of capitalism.

A 'mixture of socialism and capitalism' only makes sense if you conceive of socialism as being reducible to Keynesian economic theory, which it is not, it is far, far more than that. But if that were true, we obviously already have a mixture of neoclassical and Keynesian economic theory in practise, because a pure free market economy is an utter fantasy, the state must regularly step in to break up monopolies, to raise or lower the interest rate, to enact minimum wage laws etc. etc.

Socialism is much more than this. I advise listening to some Richard Wolff lectures on Youtube, he has a simple way of explaining economic theory which I like.

The problem with Richard Wolff is that he doesn't really seem to understand what capitalism is, he attributes problems caused by socialism to it.

The problems caused by socialism? In our era, where socialism has been dead for at least 30 years, can you please elaborate what you mean by this? If you are making an equivalence between socialism, the complicated theoretical body of work and practical struggle that began even before Marx and found its strength in Marxism and the proletarian movement, and the body of theory known as Keyensian economic theory, then you are making a false equivalence. Keynes was specifically concerned with stabilising capitalism so as to avoid what he considered an inevitable communist future IF unrestrained capitalism continued, like in the 30s, to impoverish vast sections of the working class and drive them into the arms of the communists. Thus he advocated strong central banks, state investment etc. as the basis for AVOIDING socialism! Hardly a top socialist!

Howevet if this is not what you meant, please tell me.

Both have their ups, both have their downs. Both work in theory, but in real life it's quite different, depending on what kind of person you are.

So why not just eliminate the downs from both, and merge the positives together?

Just an idea.

This already exists, it is called social democracy and is the norm for most of the western world.

Used to be. Social democracy seems to be on its death bed. In the early 2000s pretty much the whole of Europe had centre left or third way governments. Now it is only a handful.

This already exists, it is called social democracy and is the norm for most of the western world.