The Gift

"All our social insurance legislation, a piece of state socialism that has already been realized, is inspired by the following principle: the worker has given his life and his labour, on the one hand to the collectivity, and on the other hand, to his employers.  Although the worker has to contribute to his insurance, those have benefited from his services have not discharged their debt to him through the payment of wages (my emphasis).  The state itself, representing the community, owes him, as do his employers, together with some assistance from himself, a certain security in life, against employment, sickness, old age, and death." *

This is a particularly succinct rationale for socialism, or the kind of socialist leaning capitalism in the U.S.  As an employer I don't agree that the exchange of wages does not discharge the debt I owe an employee.  As an employee, I did not feel that my employer owed me anything more than the wages and benefits agreed to.  I don't think there is any persuasive argument capable of swaying a person's opinion on this topic.  A person's experience and attitude will lead them to concur with or refute the phrase I have highlighted above.

Millions of words have been written to denounce or defend socialism.  The armies of writers and speakers on either side of the issue wave their ideological flags, exhorting their compatriots to fight the opposing army.  Jonathan Haidt, author of The Righteous Mind, explains how people of opposing ideologies construct a moral code that has an internal integrity by placing emphases on different values.

Here  is a TED talk by Haidt.  Here is a discussion Jonathan had with economist Russ Roberts about the topic.

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Mauss, Marcel, and W. D. Halls. The Gift: The Form and Reason for Exchange in Archaic Societies. New York: W.W. Norton, 1990. 67. Print. (First published in 1950 as "Essai sur le Don.")