Reply #22: Capitalism by definition protects certain types of freedom that socialism (by definition) does not. [View All]

[BzaDem]

For example, capitalism protects freedom of contract. In capitalism, one can hire others to work for their business by having both agree to a mutually acceptable contract. (The owner would still control "the means of production," since this wouldn't necessarily be given away in a contract.)

In socialism (or at least the forms of socialism I have seen advocated here), such a transaction would generally be prohibited, since in these forms of socialism, the workers would own "the means of production" (even though "the means of production" only exist due to the owner).

Of course, democracy can and should place restraints these types of transactions (such as child labor laws, minimum wage laws, etc). But let's not pretend socialism generally protects the freedom of contract, when it by definition (and by its own terms) does not. In reality, socialists simply do not think people should be "free" to do certain things that they would be free to do in a capitalist society. They define freedom in a way that pleases them.