Compare And Contrast Communism And Communism

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Common misperceptions have convinced Americans over the years that communism is corrupt form of government. In reality, the leaders of so called communist countries are corrupt. Communism is an economic system derived by Karl Marx, which in theory is composed of publicly owned property and wealth spread equally among the population. According to Merino in his preface to What Are Some Concerns About Capitalism?, “Communism’s defining feature is the public, or communal, ownership of capital” in which “the means of production owned and utilized by all for the common good” where there is no difference in the wealth between the people. Communism and capitalism have opposite values, while communism is beneficial for society as a whole, capitalism …show more content…

One of Qoheleth’s main arguments against capitalism is that all work that is done with the purpose of financial success and wealth are meaningless efforts. He argues that a person’s toil will be pointless during his or her life because it causes exhaustion, “All things are wearisome; more than one can express” (Ecclesiastes 1:8) and lacks uniqueness, “What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9). Working hard also does not guarantee comfort and prosperity, “In the place of justice, wickedness was there, and in the place of righteousness, wickedness was there as well” (Ecclesiastes 3:16). Another example of this is in Ecclesiastes 10:7, “I have seen slaves on horseback, and princes walking on foot like slaves.” Escaping, hiding, and preventing bad things from happening can not work, and status does not guarantee one’s comfort in life. With capitalism, “The good and the just do not prosper, but the wicked prosper quite well” (Tamez, 253), Secondly, a person’s toil is meaningless in death because all people and animals suffer the same fate, “For the fate of humans and the fate of animals is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and humans have no advantage over the animals; for all is vanity” (Ecclesiastes 3:19). No matter the work a person does in his or her lifetime, no matter their affluence, he or …show more content…

There is comfort in the symbol of lying together and keeping warm. Staying warm is a vital part of life, which according to Qoheleth, happens only when other’s are present. The more people there are that come together, the more that chances to succeed present themselves because more people can help prevent failure within the society while also adding the bonus of comfort. In a communist society, citizens are encouraged to work together while with capitalism, only two types of people exist, the oppressed and the oppressors. In his analysis of Ecclesiastes, Drewes writes, “The ideology of capitalism oppresses people and drives them to despair” (130). Not everyone succeeds in life with capitalism, not everyone feels happy and not everyone can be good. Selfishness helps only those that who are selfish, leaving the altruistic in hardship. Qoheleth saw no advantage or purpose of one’s own success and achievement, but only when one person helps another can they both achieve and become successful (Dulin, 263). A communist society, a society in which people work as equals stays stronger and has more comfort than a capitalist society where every man only cares for

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