The Off Topic Topic

[DGuller]

Capitalism existed before Adam Smith wrote about it.

It did?

The invention of the capitalism and/or free market wasn't an e = mc^2 kind of thing.  They developed organically before people started working on explaining them.

[frunk]

The invention of the capitalism and/or free market wasn't an e = mc^2 kind of thing.  They developed organically before people started working on explaining them.

I'm pretty sure energy converting to matter and vice versa happened before Einstein described it.

[FunkMonk]

https://theoutline.com/post/1433/who-watches-the-men-hillarys-escape

[The Brain]

The invention of the capitalism and/or free market wasn't an e = mc^2 kind of thing.  They developed organically before people started working on explaining them.

I'm pretty sure energy converting to matter and vice versa happened before Einstein described it.

By pure luck?

[Admiral Yi]

I'd say capitalism was created when the first farmer laid aside seed grain for next year.

[Tonitrus]

https://theoutline.com/post/1433/who-watches-the-men-hillarys-escape

Jack Chick should sue.

[DGuller]

Lately I've noticed that a lot of people who do sales of one kind or another now follow the tactic of asking you for your availability before making any attempt to ask you whether you're interested in meeting them.  "Hi, we're introducing a new line of dildos, and we are excited to demo them.  Are you free this Thursday at 2 pm?"

Does this tactic have a name?  And does it really work?  It strikes me as quite rude, and it never fails to instantly turn me off on the person, no matter how much I was inclined to engage with them previously.

[Razgovory]

I'd say capitalism was created when the first farmer laid aside seed grain for next year.

Capitalism, invented by ants!

[Valmy]

I'd say capitalism was created when the first farmer laid aside seed grain for next year.

Capitalism, invented by ants!

He is right though. That is an investment of capital. Capitalism was never invented really. Adam Smith was just coming up with an explanation for what he was observing.

[Eddie Teach]

tyr has found his soulmate

And it's a dude. Tough luck, chap.

[Razgovory]

I'd say capitalism was created when the first farmer laid aside seed grain for next year.

Capitalism, invented by ants!

He is right though. That is an investment of capital. Capitalism was never invented really. Adam Smith was just coming up with an explanation for what he was observing.

My understanding was that Smith and other classical economists were in revolt against the economic doctrine of their day, Mercantilism.

[Josquius]

Wasn't it the Dutch in the 17th century who invented capitalism.

[Maladict]

Wasn't it the Dutch in the 17th century who invented capitalism.

The pilgrims lived in Leiden until the religious tolerance became too much to bear for them.

[Duque de Bragança]

Wasn't it the Dutch in the 17th century who invented capitalism.

Or the Italian merchant-bankers of the late Middle Ages/Early Renaissance.

[grumbler]

It isn't possible to say who "invented capitalism" without defining what you mean by "capitalism."  Our modern concept of capitalism (that capital should be privately, not publicly, owned; that economic decisions should be made based on self-interest; and that a free market should be used to acquire and sell goods and services) is probably a 17th century invention, as previous practitioners of protocapitalism like the Italian bankers (or roman businessmen, for that matter) certainly believed in government intervention in the market on their behalf.  They did have private ownership of capital and did believe in economic activity for personal gain, though, so people who don't think capitalism requires a free market could consider those guys capitalists and push back the development of capitalism to the beginning, as Yi argues.