[pinballdave]

Originally Posted by Othen

I have deliberately not mentioned politics pinballdave.

Your original post mentioned "the communist experiment in the former USSR", how is that not mentioning politics? If you didn't want to make political point, then why did you even mention communism?

In your original thesis, you appeared to be theorising that the alternative to allowing businesses to operate freely would to lead to a communist state.

I was arguing that the theory was absurd as we already have market regulations for various economic and safety reasons and it has not lead to a communist state.

Originally Posted by Othen

The alternative to a market economy (regardless of how regulated) is a centrally controlled economy. That much is logical (and I think irrefutable); this is what I said.

And that is where I see your original hypothesis as being an absurdist black -vs- white argument. In the real world the alternative to a regulated market economy, is another regulated market economy but with slight tweaks to the regulations, it is not and never will be a centrally controlled economy, and to suggest it as the only possible alternative is patently absurd.

Originally Posted by Othen

I corrected you with this piece, which is irrefutable given the above:

Nothing in this world is irrefutable. Even the laws of physics are only our best guess at how the universe operates based on our observations and experiments, and are constantly changing as we make new observations.

What is irrefutable in your eyes is just one persons opinion in the eyes of someone who disagrees with your opinion. You have offered no examples of market driven economies that have suddenly turned into communist states due to some tweaking of the market regulations, so I fail to see your irrefutable evidence.

Originally Posted by Othen

You concede the piece about the market economy in the UK not being uncontrolled, that much is fine.

I never said the UK economy was not controlled, I used the example of an uncontrolled free market economy as an equally extreme counter-point to the extremes of your centrally controlled economy, to demonstrate the absurdness of using an extreme viewpoint to discredit any dissenting opinions.

Originally Posted by Othen

You then go on to belittle my thesis

My post was intended as a counterpoint to your thesis, not a personal attack, I'm sorry if you took it that way.

Originally Posted by Othen

I find it irritating that some correspondents feel the need to twist the subject towards support their own political or social views;

As do I, which is why I replied to your original thesis which appeared to me to be making a somewhat political point akin to 'If we do anything about it, it will lead to communism'.


Anyway, I fully agree with you that this is not the most appropriate place to be having this discussion, so at this point I will take my leave and let this rest. If you would like to continue with this, then I would request that you take it to private messages.

Dave.