Nicholas van Rijn's granddaughter, Coya Conyon, thinks:
"I can't say I like most of those money-making merchant princes..." (p. 640)
and:
"...Technic civilization...was itself overwhelmed by laissez-faire capitalism -" (p. 647)
She tells van Rijn:
"'A few of us try to exercise some forethought as well as our consciences...'" (p. 648)
When van Rijn remarks that, while youngsters become more prudish:
"'...the companies and governments get more brutish...'" (p. 659)
- Coya replies:
"'The second is part of the reason for the first.'" (ibid.)
This excelent exchange tells us what is going on in the Solar Commonwealth and the Polesotechnic League and enables us to adopt our own positions on these issues.
3 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
And my position would be that of Nicholas van Rijn! I have ZERO use for any kind of socialism, including half-way approximations like cartelization, where the State more and more tries, incompetently, to control the economy.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean: setups like that tend to be oligarchical/authoritarian, rather than "socialist" in the strict sense.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
Once you pointed that out I have to agree. But I would argue that socialist regimes, in the strict sense, are more harshly "oligarchical/authoritarian" gov'ts. A difference of degree, not in kind.
Ad astra! Sean
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