It's Time to Think Boldly About Building a New American System

[LongTomH]

11. When I started reading future studies four decades ago........

.......I actually encountered the idea that both capitalism and socialism as we know them are obsolete and must be replaced by a new system. Sadly, since then futurism has largely been captured by conservative / libertarian think tanks like the Cato Institute; but, there are a few progressive voices speaking up, and they echo that earlier idea. One of those is Kim Stanley Robinson, best known for his Mars Trilogy, had a character in Green Mars make the statement that both capitalism and socialism contain elements both of the old feudalism and emerging, real democracy.

Think about it. Socialism actually embodies noblesse oblige, the idea that the lord of the manor had some responsibility for the well-being of the people under his rule. Some capitalists actually have a similar sense of responsibility; however, more and more just consider people markers in the quest for power and wealth, just like the slave-holding aristocracy of the old south.

The question is: What kind of economic system can we build? The new technologies can displace workers while increasing shareholder value; thereby increasing the gap between the very rich and everyone else. The real meaning of those same technologies is, that we have the capability to provide a decent standard of living for everyone on this planet; that's what the late R. Buckminster Fuller was trying to tell us.