Does "capitalistic enterprise" mean capitalism in this sentence?
The question is simple. In the following sentence, can I replace "capitalistic enterprise" with "capitalism" without any change in meaning?
Capitalistic enterprise involves a ruthless belief in the importance of increasing material production to the utmost possible extent now and in the immediate future.
Definitions of "enterprise" in Concise Oxford English Dictionary are:
a project or undertaking, especially a bold one. ▶bold resourcefulness.
a business or company
Which meaning is used in the above sentence?
Solution 1:
'Capitalism' is a more passive word - meaning 'the entirety of the world that is involved in enterprise, commerce, or business'.
'Capitalistic enterprise' refers to the actions taken by enterprises, to generate money. This phrase works better with what the author is saying in this sentence - because he goes on to explain what that action actually is.
If you put purely 'Capitalism' - which is a general concept, not necessarily an activity at that moment - then the sentence becomes rather pallid and somewhat loses its meaning and drive.
So yes - it does make a difference, and a negative one.