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Q:
"I am an advocate of capitalism as the only alternative to
force being initiated against innocent human beings.
Yet one issue still troubles me about capitalism.
Leonard Peikoff, a great philosopher, will never earn the amount
of money that Madonna, who, whether one likes her music or not, one must
say objectively is a less important and virtuous person than Leonard
Peikoff. I understand that
there is no alternative except unjust violence to a market driven
economy, but can't we say "gosh this is a little imperfect"
and thus criticize the system? Yes,
many great men justly earn fortunes under capitalism, but many great men
don't because consumers can be irrational.
Is this a flaw in a moral system?"
A: This
question has already been covered in the writings of both Leonard
Peikoff and Ayn Rand and there is really nothing more for me to add that
has not already been said. Therefore,
rather than restate what they have already written so eloquently, I am
just going to refer you to their books (anything to help Dr. Peikoff
make a sale and close the gap on Madonna).
In Objectivism:
The Philosophy of Ayn Rand, Leonard Peikoff does a great job
discussing this in detail in chapter 11 (Capitalism) [in the section
titled "Capitalism as the System of Objectivity"].
Furthermore, Ayn Rand not only addresses this point in her essay
"What is Capitalism" [found in her book Capitalism:
the Unknown Ideal], she
uses a similar example between Elvis Presley and Albert Einstein--same
point, just different names. Please
read these essays and let me know if you are still having trouble.
Your Friend in Reason,
Aristotle
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