Is capitalism really about love? In an Acton Institute talk entitled “Capitalism Is About Love” Jeffrey Tucker argues exactly that – that exchange is inherently rooted in love. He posits that in a capitalist economy, the notion of exchange allows one to have affection for those within one’s community. Transactions, according to Tucker, allow us to value others in our communities while simultaneously increasing community wealth. To support this argument Tucker utilizes the Greek words for love: the first of these being “storge”, or affection, which at its simplest form is borne out of commercial relationships. Tucker posits that the act of trade implies that you value whomever it is you’re trading with enough to go to them for what you need.
While I agree with Tucker about capitalism’s usefulness and necessity in creating economic wealth, as well as the idea that there can be an aspect of love in capitalism, I don’t believe love is inherent in exchange – in an ideal capitalist economy, of course, each exchange WILL in fact be rooted in affection. Each transaction will have an undercurrent of not only a desire for what the other party has, but value for them as functioning members of the economy to which you belong. In reality however, this is not always the case. We often see disrespect towards waiters, rude behavior towards fast food workers, and frustration with cashiers – all instances where Tucker argues that there is an “opportunity for human engagement, [and an] opportunity to be kind to each other” (30:05). So yes, capitalism does inherently provides the opportunity for this affection, this respect, this “storge” – and ideally, this opportunity to value someone else in the act of exchange will always be adhered to – but unfortunately, I don’t think capitalism is always rooted in love. But it can be! Capitalism at its best can also beautifully display "filia", brotherly love, and "eros", passionate love. Though I don't believe love in capitalism is inherent, it is most definitely possible - and we all should do our utmost to make it so.
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This is an excellent point! Even if the basic structure of capitalism is often motivated by good intentions, nothing will ever fully stop humans from taking advantage of systems or taking it for granted, for wrongful benefits or sinful reasons.