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The claim the author leads off with is not plausible: capitalism has seen enormous changes in social relations since its earliest days. The author is a sociolo

The claim the author leads off with is not plausible: capitalism has seen enormous changes in social relations since its earliest days. The author is a sociologist, not an economic historian, but they should still be aware of that economic historians (even ones on the Left) tend to place the emergence of capitalism sometime in the 1600's, and break it up into multiple phases, each of which is embodied by significantly different social relations. Once upon various times anti-capitalists proclaimed that unionization, emancipation, universal suffrage (giving the vote to all men rather than just men of property), women's suffrage, labour parties and social democracy would all overthrow the capitalist order precisely because these were seen as radical departures from existing social relations upon which capitalism was presumed to depend. Instead, capitalism has proven an enormously resilient mode of economic organization that can be instantiated in societies with extremely different social relations. So the claim that the modern worker in a mature capitalist society like Sweden or Canada or Germany (to pick a few at random) stands in the same social relationship to their employer as did workers in 17th century Amsterdam or 18th century London or 19th century New York or 20th century Shanghai is extremely implausible. To further claim that social relations in the future must remain as they are today for the preservation of the capitalism mode of economic organization is equally implausible.

astrocyte 12y ago
If the current modes of operations around the world are of any sign, it's quite clear that capitalism is already on its deathbed. A lot of systems produce good outputs when good intentions drive them. Of course, in long runs, it's always clear that man's silly, short-sighted, and greedy nature runs even the best of systems amok... From there, a new one is birthed with lessons learned and a sharper focus on good intentions (or so we hope). The current 'capitalistic' system is based on social foolery and the ignorance therein of its functional mechanisms. What you mean to say is that man's well bodied intentions are proven as an 'an enormously resilient mode of operation that can be instantiated in societies with extremely different social relations'. When a particular economic system breaks ties with this, it collapses under its own weight (by the weight of the larger society). Maybe because this is universally an unstable state of existence.. Who knows. Sociologist could teach economist a great deal given the Frankenstein of an economic engine they've created. The economist are so buried in their institutionalized ideals to recognize the damming social impacts their misguided systems of obfuscation and unnecessary complexity have caused throughout modern history. Just because you have some cool swag as a result says nothing about the fragile and hollow foundation that the whole global economy is currently teetering on. A historian could tell you about all the empire swag that was destroyed throughout history due to ignorance and lack of concern for social balance. If there was ever something man truly feared and kept hidden with all their might all throughout history it has been : truth. People will spend their life's fortune on hiding truths... Empires are built on it. Wars waged over it. Power is structured on it. Institutions and edifices of grandeur charged by the productivity of generations are created to ensure it never gets out. Yet, it always seems to somehow. So, if anything, that's what this 'high finance' system is all about (hiding truths). Security through obfuscation and it doesn't take some crackpot PHD Nobel Prize winning economist to see that. Maybe it takes one to construct a convince-able lie.

astrocyte 12y ago

If the current modes of operations around the world are of any sign, it's quite clear that capitalism is already on its deathbed. A lot of systems produce good outputs when good intentions drive them. Of course, in long runs, it's always clear that man's silly, short-sighted, and greedy nature runs even the best of systems amok... From there, a new one is birthed with lessons learned and a sharper focus on good intentions (or so we hope). The current 'capitalistic' system is based on social foolery and the ignorance therein of its functional mechanisms. What you mean to say is that man's well bodied intentions are proven as an 'an enormously resilient mode of operation that can be instantiated in societies with extremely different social relations'. When a particular economic system breaks ties with this, it collapses under its own weight (by the weight of the larger society). Maybe because this is universally an unstable state of existence.. Who knows. Sociologist could teach economist a great deal given the Frankenstein of an economic engine they've created. The economist are so buried in their institutionalized ideals to recognize the damming social impacts their misguided systems of obfuscation and unnecessary complexity have caused throughout modern history. Just because you have some cool swag as a result says nothing about the fragile and hollow foundation that the whole global economy is currently teetering on. A historian could tell you about all the empire swag that was destroyed throughout history due to ignorance and lack of concern for social balance. If there was ever something man truly feared and kept hidden with all their might all throughout history it has been : truth. People will spend their life's fortune on hiding truths... Empires are built on it. Wars waged over it. Power is structured on it. Institutions and edifices of grandeur charged by the productivity of generations are created to ensure it never gets out. Yet, it always seems to somehow. So, if anything, that's what this 'high finance' system is all about (hiding truths). Security through obfuscation and it doesn't take some crackpot PHD Nobel Prize winning economist to see that. Maybe it takes one to construct a convince-able lie.