Is Man's Nature to be Capitalistic or Socialistic?

What is the political nature of Man and why does it matter? Is Man inherently a "rugged individualist" or his "brother's keeper"? In a world of increasing political rhetoric, with members of both of America's Republican and Democratic parties each routinely referring to their political opponents as "Hitler," or "Nazi," or "Dictator," or "Extremist," what is the genuine, unperverted political nature of Man?

Does Man have the potential to be a rational being whereby he and others can benefit from his actions? Is he inherently a communal, non-competitive being, rationally seeking to help others and promote such things "social justice," "fairness," and "security" for all? Or is he primarily motivated by self-interest, profit, and competition, and that drive is the engine that helps lift the "standard of living" for others?

Is Mankind best served by economic policies that favor socialistic redistribution of wealth and what is typically called "fairness"? Or are people best served by policies that promote individual freedom, free markets, property rights, and what is often espoused by capitalistic proponents as essentials for "prosperity"?

At this Meetup, we will discuss whether Man's inherent, unperverted, genuine nature is Capitalistic or Socialistic; and if Man is one type and not the other, what causes him to act/think/feel against his nature (i.e., to "pervert" his nature) and what are the consequences?

MEETUP HOMEWORK
To prepare for this Meetup, please come with a brief list of basic, instinctive, unperverted, real-world human behaviors of people that you can read to the group of what you think demonstrates that Man is either inherently Capitalistic or Socialistic.

BASIC EVENT STRUTURE
>Introductory comments by members and reading of each person’s homework list
>Briefly defining the terms in the question
>What is the nature of politics and why does it matter?
>Arguments in favor of Man as a capitalist
>Arguments in favor of Man as a socialist
>What is a rational standard by which to best evaluate the question (e.g., “fairness” or “prosperity”)?
>Ethical issues
>Concluding remarks of participants

HELPFUL EVENT LINKS
>Philosophy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy
>Socialism: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialism
>Capitalism: http://famguardian.org/Subjects/Politics/Articles/Capitalism/capit-2.htm
>Morality of Socialism: http://www.moral-politics.com/xpolitics.aspx?menu=Political_Systems&action=Draw&choice=PoliticalSystems.Socialism
>Morality of Capitalism: http://www.ashbrook.org/publicat/onprin/v1n3/thompson.html >Negative Consequences of Socialism: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2024284/UK-riots-2011-Liberal-dogma-spawned-generation-brutalised-youths.html >Negative Consequences of Capitalism: http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=117528

NOTE: No purchase is necessary to attend this event, which is scheduled to begin at 6:15pm; but we typically do not start the actual discussion until up to 30 minutes later, allowing members to get something to eat, socialize, as well as to arrive a little later than the posted time.

Tsom is a quiet, fast-casual restaurant with an international salad bar, as well as dinners ranging from $5-$8. The average meal is around $6 + tax. Our last Meetup at this venue was held on the patio, but due to unpredictable parking lot noise at the last event here, as well as the warm weather this time of year, we'll be inside for this event. (Please do not bring outside food into the venue.)