this post was submitted on 18 Apr 2025
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Not quite. Dont get me wrong capitalism sucks and we should get rid of it, but for example colonialism is older than capitalism and part of its cause. So is colonialsim the root cause of evil? not quite again before colonialism there where still a lot of repressive and very hierarchical societies so again to frame capitalism as the root of all evil is ignoring a whole bunch of other repressive systems that are older but are certainly strengthend by it.
So if you want to simplisticly frame something as the root cause of evil then it would be "opressive hierarchies are the root cause of evil". but maybe im biased here since im an anarchist
Fun fact: the first capitalist ventures were colonial missions (Spanish missions to the Americas). The first publicly traded corporation was the Dutch East Indian company.
Though I'd say the root of all evil is imperialism or the desire of some to spread and maximize their control and wealth.
I think it's more trying to say that Capitalism is the root of modern systemic evil. Capitalism grew from feudalism, and feudalism grew from what came before it, each class society grew the next, but today Capitalism is the form that is hegemonic, specifically Imperialism.
Also, I disagree about hierarchy being the issue, I'd say class is. Interclass hierarchy is usually oppressive, but intra-class hierarchy isn't necessarily a bad thing, and is often a necessary component of specialization, management, and administration in increasingly complex production. I'm a Marxist-Leninist though, so that guides my views.