The premise of this blog is that we are in the midst of a global crisis of capitalism. Capitalism — which I’m using as shorthand for the social order that combines a market economy animated by consumerism with a large bureaucratic state, organized science, and mass media — has triumphed around the world, bringing material plenty to billions and promising in due course to make such plenty the global norm. But nothing fails like success, and capitalism’s stunning success is no exception. The advent of mass affluence has satisfied basic material needs, but in so doing has brought new needs to the fore — needs that capitalism is much less capable of satisfying. And even as our social system’s alignment with the requirements of human wellbeing has gone askew, its overall vigor is declining — in large part due, in one way or another, to its prior productivity. The food at this place doesn’t taste as good as it used to,
The Nature of the Crisis
The Nature of the Crisis
The Nature of the Crisis
The premise of this blog is that we are in the midst of a global crisis of capitalism. Capitalism — which I’m using as shorthand for the social order that combines a market economy animated by consumerism with a large bureaucratic state, organized science, and mass media — has triumphed around the world, bringing material plenty to billions and promising in due course to make such plenty the global norm. But nothing fails like success, and capitalism’s stunning success is no exception. The advent of mass affluence has satisfied basic material needs, but in so doing has brought new needs to the fore — needs that capitalism is much less capable of satisfying. And even as our social system’s alignment with the requirements of human wellbeing has gone askew, its overall vigor is declining — in large part due, in one way or another, to its prior productivity. The food at this place doesn’t taste as good as it used to,