In the book "A Brief History of Mankind", he starts with historical events, and then expounds on the so-called humanism and the subsequent endless greed of capital for the fictional economic pie and so on. This article tries to cite relevant research and passages in the book to reflect on whether the capitalist economic pie can grow indefinitely from the perspective of moral humanity.
In the 19th century, when the Industrial Revolution swept across Europe, bankers and capitalists were flooded with money, but millions of workers were plunged into abject poverty. In the European colonies it was even worse. King Leopold II of Belgium founded a non-humanitarian organization to conduct expeditions to Central Africa and declared a fight against slaves along the Congo River. At the same time, the group said it would build roads, schools and hospitals to improve the living conditions of local residents. In 1885, the European powers agreed to provide the organization with about 2.3 million square kilometers of land in the Congo Basin. This land area is 75 times the size of Belgium and came to be known as the Congo Free State. But no one has listened to the 30 million people who live on this land.
In a short period of time, this so-called humanitarian organization has become a business machine whose only real purpose is growth and profitability. Schools and hospitals are forgotten, and the entire Congo Basin is dotted with mines and toll farms. The most notorious of these is the rubber industry. Rubber quickly became a major industrial product, and its exports became the most important source of income for the Congo**. African villagers who are responsible for mining rubber are often asked to produce high yields, and if the yield falls below this standard, they are reprimanded"Laziness"and were severely punished. Sometimes**will be chopped off, and the whole village will be **. According to the most conservative estimates, between 1885 and 1908, the Congolese quest for growth and profit claimed the lives of 6 million Congolese (at least half of the population at the time). The death toll is estimated to be as high as 10 million.
After 1908,Especially after 1945, capitalist greed has subsided, mainly because of the fear of the emergence of just communism, but inequality is still widespread. By 2013, the global economic pie was bigger than it was in 1,500, but it was profoundly unfairly distributed. Many African-American and Indonesian workers receive less food than their ancestors 500 years ago, even if they work all day. But just like the Industrial Revolution, the so-called modern economic growth of capitalism is just a huge **. While humanity and the global economy appear to be growing, more and more people are living with hunger and poverty.
Capitalism has two reactions to this accusation:One is that capitalism has shaped the world into capitalism, and now only capitalism rules the world. The only thing that is sufficient to counterbalance capitalism is communism. In 8500 BC, even though people deeply regretted the Industrial Revolution, it was too late to abandon agriculture. In the same way, capitalism has become indispensable, and even if we don't like it now, we can't abandon it.
Secondly, capitalism also believes that with a little more patience, heaven will come to earth. But it has made mistakes in the past, such as Atlantic slaves** and the exploitation of the European working class. But all of this teaches us a lesson: just be patient and wait for the cake to get bigger, and everyone will get a slice that is big enough. Taxes can never be fair when it comes to pie-splitting, but at least it can"Big enough"to meet the needs of every man, woman and child, even in Congo.
In fact, there are some relatively good signs, at least in terms of purely material criteria (life expectancy, infant mortality, etc.), and the average of these indicators was significantly higher in 2013 than in 1913, despite the population boom in the last century. But is this economic pie really infinite? Every part of the cake requires raw materials and energy. But the prophets warned:Sooner or later, raw materials and energy on Earth will be depleted by Homo sapiens (humans). The question is when it will happen.
Under capitalism,Economic growth is seen as the only goal, while resource and environmental constraints are insurmountable obstacles. But the lessons of history tell us:Unrestrained growth is not sustainable. The history of the Congo Free State is a profound reflection on the morality of capitalism and a reminder that human economic growth is often based on the sacrifice of the people. If this continues, Congo could face serious consequences such as resource depletion, environmental damage and social injustice. Therefore, it is necessary to reconsider the meaning and purpose of economic growth. The economic goal should not be the mere pursuit of wealth accumulation, but the improvement of people's living standards. Sustainable development should be sought taking into account the finite resources and environmental protection. At the same time, social inequalities need to be addressed so that everyone can share in the fruits of economic growth.
At the end of the day: whether the economic pie can expand indefinitely is a question that requires deep thinking. In the pursuit of economic growth, we cannot ignore the constraints of resources and the environment, let alone the importance of social equity. Only by rationally allocating resources and achieving social fairness and justice can we achieve sustainable economic growth and let the whole people share the fruits of economic development.