The anti-utilitarian nature of economic equality.

[theapportioner]

A system that gives people the freedom to choose their happiness gives people the freedom to abuse others'. It is only in spite of the system that we have protections against that sort of thing, that we have freedoms protecting the happiness of those who choose not to enter the "enterprise". Therefore capitalism by itself cannot achieve "optimal social happiness".

And there is no reason whatsoever why people who currently take happiness in the form of material wealth could not find happiness by other means. What makes us happy is not set in stone. I repeat: our ideas of what gives us pleasure derive from the societies in which we live, and the circumstances currently surrounding us.

Capitalism is never about optimizing social happiness. It is about making money. It will be able to accomplish the former only when our society has been fully shaped to accept the acquisition of material wealth as religion. Even slaves can learn to be happy.