I am a distributist, of the variety promulgated by G.K. Chesterton and Hillaire Belloc. Their central tenet is that society works best when the ownership of productive property is widely distributed. And the converse is also true: Society does not work well when the ownership of productive property is concentrated in the hands of a small percentage of people, such as an ultra-wealthy ruling class.
That doesn't imply robinhoodism, aka forced redistribution of wealth, but it does imply that economic policy should recognize and be in furtherance of the ideal of widespread ownership.
Back in Belloc and Chesterton's day, "ownership of productive property" meant physical tools and machinery, like farm equipment and printing presses. But in the 21st century, productive property -- that which generates a profit -- is becoming increasingly digital. The general principle still stands, though.
* If you're interested in learning more about distributism as an alternative to capitalism and socialism, I wrote this kids' guide a few years ago, but it's suitable for anyone who's learning more about it: https://shaungallagher.pressbin.com/blog/distributism-for-ki...
That doesn't imply robinhoodism, aka forced redistribution of wealth, but it does imply that economic policy should recognize and be in furtherance of the ideal of widespread ownership.
Back in Belloc and Chesterton's day, "ownership of productive property" meant physical tools and machinery, like farm equipment and printing presses. But in the 21st century, productive property -- that which generates a profit -- is becoming increasingly digital. The general principle still stands, though.
* If you're interested in learning more about distributism as an alternative to capitalism and socialism, I wrote this kids' guide a few years ago, but it's suitable for anyone who's learning more about it: https://shaungallagher.pressbin.com/blog/distributism-for-ki...