Tormac said:
I'm trying to follow this thread, but I'm lost.
I hope that the main authors can help me out by answering a few questions of mine.
(I'll try not to induce accidental topic drift)
1). What is the difference between Mercantilism and Capitalism?
I really think that these two economic philosophies and or systems are getting lumped in together as one by some in this thread.
2). What is the definition of a capitalist.
I apparently do not understand the definition of it, at least the one that seems to be used in this thread. I own shares of Cisco, AMD, Owens Corning, Chevron-Texaco, and through mutual funds hundreds of other corporations. Does that make me a capitalist? I have a friend that owns a laundry mat. Does that make him a capitalist?
Thanks for any explanation, I fear that definitions to some of the key terms being used in this thread are not the orthodox ones I am familiar with, or maybe I need a dictionary. 
For the most part as "capitlaist" is one who's PRIMARY income is derived from capital investments, or controling "the means of production", so no you would not be a capitalist.
In its purest for the capitalist never produces anything. The wage-laborer is who does the production.
Cain is correct, IF the economy were such that the majority of people OWNED their own means of produciton, i.e. they were self employed, then it would not be a "capitalist" economy. It is a "capitalist" economy when a minority of people own the "means of production" and the majority of people are employed through wage-labor, i.e. paid salaries using the property of the capitalism to produce goods and services.
So, if you own your own means of production then you are neither a capitlaist or a wage-laborer.
Your friend who owns the laundry mat is probably not considered a capitalist because he owns his own means of producing goods and services. Does he employ other workers and does he work himself?
Marxism though is not really much conserned with small business owners, Marxism is talking primarily about factories and mining operations, and things of that nature. Marxism is talking about companies or individuals who employ thousands of people, all of whom have little or no control over their own jobs. The "goal" of Marxism is to work towards everyone having more control over their own jobs instead fo being up to the will of a few powerful "capitalists", teh idea is that prior to the Industrial Revolution individuals had more control over tehi own lives because they owned their own means of production. A shoe maker had a shop and made his own shoes. He own all the tools and supplied needed to make shoes. Now a show maker works in a factory and does not own anything an generally has less control over his own work that before.
Before someone could make shoes all they wanted to and supply and demand was all they had to deal with. They never had to worry about being fired because they owned their own business. Now more people don't own anything that can make money they have to "sell themselves", "sell their labor power" to the capitalist, who hires and fires based on his needs, not that of the employee, which takes control away from the laborer.
Marxism is all just about preventing all of the power from being in the hands of a few people.
