Creating the Postcapitalist Thought World
How to help create ideas that will define the new world
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Digitalization is creating a discontinuity in the capitalist world. We know that as more and more things digitalize, automate, robotize, and become abundant, our capitalist economy will change. What is less certain is the shape of what comes next. What will replace capitalism, representative democracy, and the protestant work ethic when markets collapse, people want to vote directly, and work is no longer required to survive?
The truth is that there are many options. Communism could arise. Authoritarian exterminism could appear in answer to the question, “What do we need all these people for?” As horrific as that idea may sound, we cannot just assume that terrible things won’t happen. They might. They could. And the only way to prevent it is to put forward a better idea and actively shape a better future.
Milton Friedman used to say that when a disaster strikes, you have the opportunity to pick up whatever ideas are lying around and implement them. As Naomi Klein documents in her book The Shock Doctrine, Friedman and his University of Chicago colleagues did this in Chile, for example, as they brought about General Pinochet’s regime. Such is the power, and sometimes the travesty, of ideas. A similar approach was initiated in the New Orleans school system after Hurricane Katrina—most of the system was wiped out, so privatization ideas came in and started remaking the public schools in the image of private agitators.
For me, this is a lesson. Digitalization and climate change are creating discontinuities that will provide an opening for new ideas. The question is, which ideas will fill the vacuum—that is, which ideas are “lying around” waiting to be tried? Clearly, the postcapitalist world has not yet developed, but just as clearly the discontinuities caused by digitalization are appearing. As the discontinuities create a widening gap between what was and what is going to be, ideas that are more fully developed become the best candidates to fill in.
In other letters and posts, I suggest that personal lifestyle decisions, while important, are not enough. Certainly, they are not enough to solve climate change or change the world. We all know that. History proves it. But we can contribute to something larger and bigger in the development of the ideas, imagination, and thought-world for postcapitalism to emerge. The dialog can gain ground in such a way as to support its development. Or not. That’s the choice we face at this time. Activism isn’t the point; the thought-world is.
The action needed, in other words, is the development and testing of ideas. When you comment here, you help develop ideas. When you sign up to write for The Postcapitalist on Medium.com, you participate in the development of the ideas. When you discuss it with friends you enrich and expand the ideas. The ideas in that thought-world create the ability to imagine things differently, and in so doing, prepare people to handle it. Without such a thought-world, the discontinuities can only be experienced as losses. The opportunities in the change get lost. Resistance strengthens because anxiety increases. What are we going to do when we no longer have…? The thought world I am talking about provides answers and shapes the direction people will move.
There may well come a time when political action is needed. We are not there today. Don't get me wrong, however. There is plenty to be politically active about—many injustices to protest and a lot of action to demand, especially on climate. But for postcapitalism, it is too early to go political. The thought world needs to be further developed first. And digitalization must diffuse further into the economy.
Thought-worlds shape the imagination and define the possible. This is an invitation to participate in whatever way works… brood on an idea, discuss digitalization socially, comment on sites from that perspective, write for The Postcapitalist. Let’s shape the future together.
Recent Articles from Last Week
Here are my recent articles from this week on Medium.com. Note that if Medium needs you to sign up for a membership to get access and you wish to do so, please use my affiliate membership link. The cost is the same, but your sign-up with that link helps support my work financially.
Exchange Theft — A Crypto Concern You Don’t Have Elsewhere
Climate Change Disrupts Capitalism — Then What?
Driverless Vehicles Are Making Headway
Crypto: Volatility Without Value
Ideology — A Crime Against the Soul
What a Difference a Day Makes! Crypto Down 20%… Wait, 30%!
Free Crypto
Want to get started with some free crypto? Use this link and you get $25 free crypto and so do I. Crypto.com is an exchange where you can buy and sell. It has worked well for me. As you know, I am a crypto skeptic, but participating a little bit has taught me a whole lot about what I did not know. And crypto will be part of the postcapitalist future.
In Case You Missed Them
Here are the articles from the previous week listed in last week’s Intertwine, just in case you missed them! The links below are live and go directly to the article on the platform where it was published.
Conversion Infrastructure—The Only Viable Solution to Climate Change
Seven Lessons from My First 90 Days with Crypto
Private Property and the Digital Commons: Economic Transformation #1
Hierarchy vs. Networks: Economic Transformation #2
Coercion vs. Collaboration: Economic Transformation #3
Extraction vs. Conversion: Economic Transformation #4
From Scarcity to Abundance: Economic Transformation #5
Cheers!
Anthony
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Anthony Signorelli
Ideas, insights, and imagination to help you live better in a worsening world. Topics include Men, #MeToo, and Masculinity; Postcapitalism; Climate Change; Digitalization and Cryptocurrency; Green Energy; Retirement and financial planning… basically everything that addresses making life better in this challenging time of history.