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Gandhi’s economic views: Mixed up poverty elimination with elimination of economic inequality

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Here is an elaboration of Gandhi’s view on economic equality. Unfortunately, he had not understood John Ruskin (whose work he claimed to promote), for Ruskin had clearly indicated that economic inequality is the NATURAL state of man. Even when total economic equality is enforced in an imaginary world, inequality will rapidly emerge.

It is not inequality that we should even remotely bother about, but poverty. And that can be readily addressed through a negative income tax based social insurance scheme.

Clearly, Gandhi was not averse to the use of STATE FORCE to regulate the rich. He used the existence of deep poverty as an excuse to hammer the rich. That’s wrong. Let’s keep poverty and economic inequality as two separate issues. The first is legitimate. The second, illegitimate.

VOL. 89: 7 DECEMBER, 1945 – 24 FEBRUARY, 1946 295 ———————Page 42795———————

QUESTION : What exactly do you mean by economic equality? What is statutory trusteeship as conceived by you?

Gandhiji’s reply was that economic equality of his conception did not mean that everyone would literally have the same amount. It simply meant that everybody should have enough for his or her needs. For instance, he required two shawls in winter whereas his grand-nephew Kanu Gandhi who stayed with him and was like his own son did not require any warm clothing whatsoever. Gandhiji required goat’s milk, oranges and other fruit. Kanu could do with ordinary food. He envied Kanu but there was no point in it. Kanu was a young man whereas he was an old man of 76. The monthly expense of his food was far more than that of Kanu but that did not mean that there was economic inequality between them. The elephant needs a thousand times more food than the ant, but that is not an indication of inequality. So the real meaning of economic equality was: “To each according to his need.” That was the definition of Marx. [Sanjeev: but this is the HUGE problem: who else can define a person's needs but the person himself? And why does someone's need concern us?] If a single man demanded as much as a man with wife and four children that would be a violation of economic equality. [Sanjeev: This is a deeply communist statement, close to Marxian]

Gandhiji continued :

Let no one try to justify the glaring difference between the classes and the masses, the prince and the pauper, by saying that the former need more. [Sanjeev: That's never the justification. The justification is based on JUSTICE. The laws of freedom to produce and pass on to one's progeny. Re: princes - these must be abolished.] That will be idle sophistry and a travesty of my argument. The contrast between the rich and the poor today is a painful sight. [Sanjeev: WHY! The ONLY issue is poverty. The rich are entitled to live as well as they wish. ] The poor villagers are exploited by the foreign Government and also by their own countrymen—the city-dwellers. They produce the food and go hungry. They produce milk and their children have to go without it. It is disgraceful. Everyone must have a balanced diet, a decent house to live in, facilities for the education of one’s children and adequate medical relief. [Sanjeev: That's fine - a social minimum is essential and the5re can be no disagreemnt about it, but that's POVERTY, not INEQUALITY]

That constituted his picture of economic equality. He did not want to taboo everything above and beyond the bare necessaries but they must come after the essential needs of the poor are satisfied. [Sanjeev: that's collectivist NONSENSE. The essential needs of the poor can be readily resolved - but that's ALL the state is required to do. Let everyone be as rich as they wish, after that] things must come first. As for the present owners of wealth, they would have to make their choice between class-war and voluntarily converting themselves into trustees of their wealth. [Sanjeev: Clearly a communist threat] They would be allowed to retain the stewardship of their possessions and to use their talent to increase the wealth, not for their own sakes, but for the sake of the nation and therefore without exploitation. The State would regulate the rate of commission which they would get commensurate with the service rendered and its value to society. Their children would inherit the stewardship only if they proved their fitness for it.  [Sanjeev: here comes the punch: the VIOLENCE of the state]

He concluded :

Supposing India becomes a free country tomorrow, all the capitalists will have an opportunity of becoming statutory trustees. But such a statute will not be imposed from above. It will have to come from below. When the people understand the implications of trustee- ship and the atmosphere is ripe for it, the people themselves, beginning with gram panchayats , will begin to introduce such statutes. Such a thing coming from below is easy to swallow. Coming from above, it is liable to prove a dead weight.

Q. What is the difference between your technique and that of the communists or socialists for realizing the goal of economic equality?

A. The socialists and communists say, they can do nothing to bring about economic equality today. They will just carry on propaganda in its favour and to that end they believe in generating and accentuating hatred. They say, when they get control over the State, they will enforce equality. Under my plan, the State will be there to carry out the will of the people, not to dictate to them or force them to do its will. I shall bring about economic equality through non- violence, by converting the people to my point of view by harnessing the forces of love as against hatred. I will not wait till I have converted the whole society to my view but will straightaway make a beginning with myself.

It goes without saying that I cannot hope to bring about economic equality of my conception, if I am the owner of fifty motor-cars or even of ten bighas of land. For that I have to reduce myself to the level of the poorest of the poor. That is what I have been trying to do for the last fifty years or more, and so I claim to be a foremost communist although I make use of cars and other facilities offered to me by the rich. They have no hold on me and I can shed them at a moment’s notice, if the interests of the masses demand it.


Source: http://www.sabhlokcity.com/2014/06/gandhis-economic-views-mixed-up-poverty-elimination-with-elimination-of-economic-inequalitygandhis-economic-views-economic-equality-is-desirable-but-not-by-force/


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