“The Nirvana Myth is comparing capitalism with an unrealizable idea. It’s not simply the belief that good will triumph in the end or the belief that the Kingdom of God is already present–though not yet fully realized–in history. It’s the delusion that we can build utopia on our won if we try hard enough. It makes every real society look intolerably wicked, since no real society can measure up to Utopia. Without this myth, the popular but deadly communist experiments of the twentieth century could never have gotten off the ground.
When we ask whether we can build a just society, we need to keep the question nailed to solid ground: “just” compared to what? It doesn’t do anyone any good to tear down a society that is “unjust” compared to the Kingdom of God, if that society is more just than any of the ones that will replace it. If you compare capitalism with the live alternatives, however, capitalism wins hands down.”–Jay Richards
Last night was the state of the union and of course economics came up. But we need to be realistic. There is a tension we need to acknowledge between what is and what could be…and then what is actually feasible.
For more, see Money, Greed, and God by Jay Richards