> Those of us who are capitalists see surplus value as a compromise to ensure good economic growth.

I think the problem is that every system of economics requires ignoring human nature in order to believe it possibly can work. In order to believe that capitalism doesn't lead to despotic rule you have to ignore the fact that civilizations love a good hierarchy far more than they love justice and fairness.

You can make any system of economics work if you figure out how to deal, head on, with the particular human nature factor that it tries to ignore.