The body of evidence

James Rose, The Standard

Monday, August 28, 2006

All human idealisms can be ugly. Very ugly. Take capitalism: without strong lines of demarcation between what's acceptable and what's not acceptable, anything and everything will be commercialized, become grist for the capitalist mill. Now we have strong claims that organs from living Falun Gong detainees on the mainland are being "harvested," without, of course, the hapless prisoners' consent. This is about as ugly as it gets. It leads one to question whether human beings and capitalism can actually mix.

The truth of it is that for all the great ideals in human history, none can be said to be truly perfect. The great problem with ideologies is always the people themselves, who are supposed to conform to patterns and predictions like rats in a lab if they are to truly benefit from the next Big Idealism. But people never do.

Capitalism is founded on the belief that all human beings will respond positively to freedom of choice through a market, that goods and services will find their "natural" niche in that market, and that profits and other purely commercial goals are appropriate drivers for human decision-making.

Capitalism emerges from the ideal of rationality. But, as we know, rationality is no substitute for absolute truth. Objective rationality is a fancy way of saying justified subjectivity, just another debating topic, and just another point of departure away from the ideals of capitalism.

Returning to the macabre and horrifying case of the Falun Gong, we can see human foibles working within a free market of sorts, and its consequences.

The most recent light to be shed on the matter has come via a report from David Kilgour, a former Cabinet minister in Canada, and David Matas, an immigration lawyer. Their report makes allegations that medical facilities in China have confirmed via taped phone calls that live organ donors are available and that healthy organs from these involuntary donors are only a lethal injection and a few scalpel cuts away.

Despite counter-claims that the researchers have been set-up, the report authors have stuck to their guns. "Believe me, I used to be a prosecutor. I knew there would be cynicism and I did my utmost to make sure that everything was satisfactorily and properly and ethically done," Kilgour said.

Despite the debate, it appears that the allegations are indeed valid.

In relation to the capitalist ideal, there are two major points worth considering here. The sellers and the buyers.

It is clear there is an intrinsic rationality in using prisoners for organ donors to make a profit on the organ donor market. It is also arguable that such a rational basis exists to pursue and eventually buy such organs, particularly if a life is in the balance and one has the money to pay.

But, the bald rationality of these decisions is but the thinnest veneer of the actual issue in question. Massive concerns abound: human rights, justice, and the sanctity of life, to name just a few.

Sure, laws can be put in place to ensure high standards in these areas are maintained, but laws are like society in theory: if we all followed them, all would probably be well. Of course, not everyone does.

In the case of the Falun Gong organ market, there are no doubt laws in both seller and buyer jurisdictions to block such behavior. But, they are not apparently being followed. A market has evolved despite all the checks and balances arraigned against it.

This is a saliant lesson in the workings of such idealisms as capitalism. Idealisms in their worst forms, allow extremes in thought to become the norm of practice. In regard to capitalism, the "rational" market can become a purely idealized concept which is planted on top of existing reality like a massive cloak, blocking out the very light cast by considerations of ethics and morality.

The lesson is that laws will not stop a market developing if there is enough need for it, and enough rational extremism to cover the grayer areas inherent in any human interaction. Ultimately, capitalism only works in a healthy, informed and inquisitive society. Probably why it has never really worked anywhere, for all people, across time.

There is much to ponder in the Falun Gong organ market case. Perhaps the most long-term matter is whether human beings can ever make capitalism, or any other lab-constructed idealism, really work. Maybe we're just too immature, too selfish, too ugly in our ways. There's a lot to be said for the capitalist model. But, if it is to work we need to be able to trust each other. Maybe we just can't handle it.

James Rose is editor of Corporate Governance Asia

http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=15&art_id=25992&sid=9601332&con_type=1