Sentimental Economics
I am finally reading Caplan's Myth of The Rational Voter. I feel like I've read 90% of it online already, but as usual Caplan has me agreeing and disagreeing within a given moment. Somehow balancing brilliant and vacuous on the head of a pin.
In any case, it got me thinking. Why is it - and a million people have asked this question, its nothing new - that humanity is so drawn to ideologies like socialism?
While a materialist like Sasha might argue that politicians and voters choose policies they believe to be in their own material self-interest, the desire for socialism seems not to be materialistic. True, for the political entrepreneur it is a good materialistic choice, but not for the masses. And, yet many don't seem to care. Utopian socialists did not expect it to bring wealth, and many cling to the ideology even after seeing the poverty it can bring. The staying power of the desire for socialism is amazing- people do not want to give up the sentimental ideology underlying this economic system.
Caplan argues that belief is a normal good - people are willing to spend money on it; they will give up material wealth for the chance to hold their beliefs. Even if the belief is wrong, and this costs the adherent, he will spend money to maintain the belief in the face of contrary evidence. Okay, but why do people want to believe in socialism? Why, for example, would they be willing to spend a huge amount of money on it - potentially giving up half or even 90% of their future personal wealth?
One thing is that it is probably quite recent that we have realized just what must be given up. Caplan points out that, while the average voter underestimates the ability of markets to perform well, even the average economist underestimates this ability as compared with government - they overestimate government. And, if we step back to earlier centuries, if we underestimated the market we might not realize how amazingly prosperous we could be in the long run, using markets. So, even if we properly estimated government (which surely we did not), we might still underestimate markets to a great enough extent that we would not see the full opportunity cost of giving them up.
Still, what draws people to socialism and keeps them entranced? Many have called it a religion, and this is true. But it isn't simply a religion because people want to believe in it, and don't care about facts. It is more than that- socialism itself plays the role of a religion particularly well.
And this is really the crux of it. The same drive that calls people to seek out God draws people to socialism. The self separates a person from others, the separation from God, as many see it, or from the womb. People long to reunite, and look for it in true love, religion, spirituality, drugs, sex, music, and so on.
The reason for this is an interesting question in itself- I tend to think that it must be biological (except when I am feeling spiritual, in which case I have an irrational explanation), and is part of the same emotional drive that compels us to want to procreate. This is very important especially today when kids are expensive and useless (you can't even send them out into the field to till wheat until they are, what, 18?) But it is also at the core of who we are. What would life be without this drive? It is a drive for life, for love and for greater purpose.
There is a longing to be one with the universe, to come home to a Greater Self or soul, so as to end the eternal loneliness of the isolated self. And, better than any other political ideology, socialism offers this.
It isn't just a uniting movement, like some nationalist ideology, and it isn't just a cold planned order. Socialism offers the coming together of all people, united in a collective desire, acting as one. All people on Earth coming together for a common purpose, to better the common good. No more isolation, no more struggle on your own, no more separation from God. Together, we can achieve anything, and you won't be alone. All good is in socialism, because it is made by all people for the good of all people.
How could you not be entranced?
In any case, it got me thinking. Why is it - and a million people have asked this question, its nothing new - that humanity is so drawn to ideologies like socialism?
While a materialist like Sasha might argue that politicians and voters choose policies they believe to be in their own material self-interest, the desire for socialism seems not to be materialistic. True, for the political entrepreneur it is a good materialistic choice, but not for the masses. And, yet many don't seem to care. Utopian socialists did not expect it to bring wealth, and many cling to the ideology even after seeing the poverty it can bring. The staying power of the desire for socialism is amazing- people do not want to give up the sentimental ideology underlying this economic system.
Caplan argues that belief is a normal good - people are willing to spend money on it; they will give up material wealth for the chance to hold their beliefs. Even if the belief is wrong, and this costs the adherent, he will spend money to maintain the belief in the face of contrary evidence. Okay, but why do people want to believe in socialism? Why, for example, would they be willing to spend a huge amount of money on it - potentially giving up half or even 90% of their future personal wealth?
One thing is that it is probably quite recent that we have realized just what must be given up. Caplan points out that, while the average voter underestimates the ability of markets to perform well, even the average economist underestimates this ability as compared with government - they overestimate government. And, if we step back to earlier centuries, if we underestimated the market we might not realize how amazingly prosperous we could be in the long run, using markets. So, even if we properly estimated government (which surely we did not), we might still underestimate markets to a great enough extent that we would not see the full opportunity cost of giving them up.
Still, what draws people to socialism and keeps them entranced? Many have called it a religion, and this is true. But it isn't simply a religion because people want to believe in it, and don't care about facts. It is more than that- socialism itself plays the role of a religion particularly well.
And this is really the crux of it. The same drive that calls people to seek out God draws people to socialism. The self separates a person from others, the separation from God, as many see it, or from the womb. People long to reunite, and look for it in true love, religion, spirituality, drugs, sex, music, and so on.
The reason for this is an interesting question in itself- I tend to think that it must be biological (except when I am feeling spiritual, in which case I have an irrational explanation), and is part of the same emotional drive that compels us to want to procreate. This is very important especially today when kids are expensive and useless (you can't even send them out into the field to till wheat until they are, what, 18?) But it is also at the core of who we are. What would life be without this drive? It is a drive for life, for love and for greater purpose.
There is a longing to be one with the universe, to come home to a Greater Self or soul, so as to end the eternal loneliness of the isolated self. And, better than any other political ideology, socialism offers this.
It isn't just a uniting movement, like some nationalist ideology, and it isn't just a cold planned order. Socialism offers the coming together of all people, united in a collective desire, acting as one. All people on Earth coming together for a common purpose, to better the common good. No more isolation, no more struggle on your own, no more separation from God. Together, we can achieve anything, and you won't be alone. All good is in socialism, because it is made by all people for the good of all people.
How could you not be entranced?
Labels: philosophy, utopia
posted by liberty at
9:44 AM
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