Capitalism is good. Socialism is evil. Ayn Rand is a saint. Karl Marx is the antichrist. Okay, so that is about my view, but one should always have a reason for what they believe. Only a fool blindly believes something without question. So you’ll never guess what book I checked out today at the library. That’s right, Marx and Engels’ own Communist Manifesto. Though I know what’s said in the pamphlet, I’ve never actually read it. I doubt Marx’s particular choice of words is going to make me forsake the value of the individual, but of course I know that I should never be afraid to read literature opposing my own point of view. Otherwise, how much validity can I possibly give it? Of course, I didn’t just go to the library to antagonize myself. I also picked up a different Karl. Karl Polanyi and his Great Transformation, in which Polanyi argues that democracy and the free market are inextricably linked, and that powerful states need to push to allow the formation of a capitalist system.

Of course, both books are rather outdated and maybe not so relevant to the world of a global market. Marx, however, did predict the global spread of capitalism. He also predicted that this would be the final stage before the workers revolted, bringing on an era of oppression of the unable and unwilling instead of going on into a new age of achievement and virtue. I don’t think Marx used those exact terms, but it’s the same general idea. I hope, for the world’s sake, that he’s wrong- but I’m not sure I have the faith in humanity to wholeheartedly believe that.