I sometimes ask people, “Do you think that in 500 years, capitalism will still govern the world? Is capitalism the last system we will ever see, and is it the single best system humanity as a species could possibly come up with?”
And they are just dumbfounded and don’t know what to say, because they can’t even imagine the concept of an alternative.
TRADE. TRADE has been around for thousands of years, and trade doesn’t dictate who we are or what we want to be, the exchange of goods is not the be all end all of our societies. There are ample proof of cultures that did not have money and still lived a good life.
Capitalism is a very different beast which took shape during the industrial revolution.
And the fact that you are incapable of seeing an alternative means you are on the side of the oligarch cabal running your life.
Oh, I’ve seen plenty of alternatives, but I’ve never seen any of them work out in the long run. They always sound good on paper but end up disastrous when implemented in the real world.
Also, banking, the main feature of capitalism, which turns capital into a tradable good, is much older than you think. Making loans and charging interest are already mentioned in the Bible, an in fact, have been around for at least 2000 years before that (Source).
tomiant@piefed.social 2 weeks ago
I sometimes ask people, “Do you think that in 500 years, capitalism will still govern the world? Is capitalism the last system we will ever see, and is it the single best system humanity as a species could possibly come up with?”
And they are just dumbfounded and don’t know what to say, because they can’t even imagine the concept of an alternative.
WanderingThoughts@europe.pub 2 weeks ago
Like is often said, for many it’s easier to imagine the end of the world than it is to imagine the end of capitalism.
oakward@feddit.org 2 weeks ago
Untamed capitalism will eventually progress to some sort of feudalism
MacNCheezus@lemmy.today 2 weeks ago
Well, capitalism has been around for thousands of years so I don’t see why it would simply just disappear in the next 500.
tomiant@piefed.social 2 weeks ago
TRADE. TRADE has been around for thousands of years, and trade doesn’t dictate who we are or what we want to be, the exchange of goods is not the be all end all of our societies. There are ample proof of cultures that did not have money and still lived a good life.
Capitalism is a very different beast which took shape during the industrial revolution.
And the fact that you are incapable of seeing an alternative means you are on the side of the oligarch cabal running your life.
MacNCheezus@lemmy.today 2 weeks ago
Oh, I’ve seen plenty of alternatives, but I’ve never seen any of them work out in the long run. They always sound good on paper but end up disastrous when implemented in the real world.
Also, banking, the main feature of capitalism, which turns capital into a tradable good, is much older than you think. Making loans and charging interest are already mentioned in the Bible, an in fact, have been around for at least 2000 years before that (Source).
DagwoodIII@piefed.social 2 weeks ago
Comparing business in ancient times with business today is like comparing warfare of today with sword and shield fighting.
MacNCheezus@lemmy.today 2 weeks ago
War never changes, and neither does business. It’s just the trends that change.
Just ask Ea-Nasir.