[berdario]

> Capitalism isn't meant to do anything.

It was probably meant in the manner of: "the purpose of a system, is what it does"...

I.e. regardless of how it evolved (system of laws written with good intent, or system of laws organically grown out of corruption and lobbying...) what capitalism does now is its purpose, and we shouldn't expect it to be meant to do anything different.

> capitalism [...] necessarily creates the incentives for the legal system to adopt laws to maintain itself

Agree

> If for some reason private property was not legally enforceable, capitalism wouldn't get off the ground

I think this makes as much sense as saying: "if money wasn't a thing, capitalism wouldn't get off the ground".

Technically true, neither capitalism nor feudalism would be able to get off the ground, but "private property not enforceable" evokes images of thugs stealing your property... The truth is that the first few people (or group thereof) who accumulate a commodity (grain, livestock, widgets, etc.) would also be the first who would be able to bribe/pay thugs with a small share of their commodities, to help protect from (deny access to) others in the community.

The monopoly of violence (and legal authority) would grow out of the initial group.

In the same way, even if money was going to be abolished, any other commodity would just take its place, and rebuild capitalism with it. It is tricky to wrestle democratic control back, and move on from capitalism.