The Inevitable Evolution of Capitalism: Barreling Uncontrollably Towards a New Future

[rpup]

No one wakes up with an inherent desire to contribute to capitalism. It isn’t part of our nature to view our time and energy as indispensable cogs in an economic system that has defined Western civilization for centuries. And yet, capitalism—rooted in principles laid out long before Adam Smith put pen to paper—remains the framework that dictates the rules of daily life for billions.

But what happens when that framework begins to crack?

Today, we see evidence everywhere: rising inequality, environmental collapse, and the increasing consolidation of wealth and power in the hands of a few. Climate change reminds us daily that our extractive approach to resources and labor is unsustainable. Meanwhile, technological progress, often celebrated as capitalism’s crowning achievement, seems to accelerate its contradictions. A system that once relied on widespread competition now thrives on monopolies and resembles something closer to 21st-century feudalism.

When these concerns are raised, the predictable counterargument emerges: “What is the alternative?” Skeptics default to this question, as though history has already exhausted every economic possibility. They point to the failures of past experiments—Soviet communism, Maoist collectivism, or even poorly executed welfare states—as if these are the only options.

But I reject this framing.

Or, I go boldly against the “No Alternatives” Fallacy.

The question, “What is the alternative?” assumes a false dichotomy: capitalism or chaos. It’s a question rooted in fear rather than imagination, designed to preserve the status quo rather than encourage exploration. What if, instead of clinging to what we know, we embraced the unknown?

Economic systems are not static. Just as feudalism evolved into capitalism, capitalism, too, will evolve—or collapse under its own weight. The alternative is not a return to failed systems but the creation of something new, informed by modern technology and guided by principles of equity and sustainability.

Take Scandinavia as an example. These nations didn’t achieve their current blend of capitalism and socialism through violent revolution or ideological purges. They evolved—gradually—by recognizing the importance of balancing individual enterprise with collective well-being. Universal healthcare, free education, robust social safety nets: these are not utopian fantasies but proven policies that work in the modern world. A perfect example this is not, as these countries are fairly culturally and socially homogeneous, but are socially still very much on the right track.

One solution: Living Contrary to Scarcity-centric Capitalism…

So, what can we do now? How do we, as individuals, begin to dismantle a system that feels so pervasive?

One way is to act in direct contradiction to capitalism’s demands. The system is only functional if we strive for unending productivity, participation in consumerism, and self- centered individualism. We can disrupt it by prioritizing rest, solidarity, and community care. This isn’t about opting out entirely—few of us have that privilege—but about taking what the system offers and advocating for more.

Millions rely on Social Security, SNAP benefits, and other programs designed to provide a safety net; yet these programs are deliberately underfunded and inadequate, often failing to keep pace with inflation or the rising cost of living. Social Security Disability Insurance, for example, requires recipients to wait two years before becoming eligible for Medicare—despite recipients’ having paid into the system.

This is by design. A system that barely meets basic needs surely reinforces the concept of dependency rather than empowerment. By collectively demanding improvements, we can expose and exploit these contradictions. After all, even the wealthiest beneficiaries of capitalism—those who eagerly accepted PPP loans during the pandemic—have no qualms about taking from the system when it serves them. Why should we?

… to understand the “Power of Collective Suffering”…

Our collective struggles under capitalism are not isolated incidents; they are symptoms of a system in decline. Within our suffering lies power. Recognizing the shared nature of our experiences is the first step toward building solidarity and imagining alternatives.

The evolution of capitalism into something more just and sustainable won’t happen overnight, nor will it come from the top down. It will require experimentation, imagination, and a willingness to challenge deeply ingrained assumptions. It will also require action—however small.

We must be willing to advocate for stronger safety nets and equal rights for all. We do this by educating ourselves and others on how current systems work, how they fail, and we also stand up and take what we’re entitled to, not in the face of shame, and demand more. If we accept that time is finite, then surely we must also accept that our economic systems must evolve to meet the demands of the present, not the ideals of the past.

……For “A Call to Action”

Promoters often present capitalism as inevitable, natural, or eternal. History tells us otherwise. Systems change because people demand it, not because the biggest benefactors - those who are (privileged, connected, corrupt) and benefit the most - are willing to give it up.

“End stage capitalism” doesn’t mean the end of society; but the beginning of a new chapter— one that we must be willing to write.

So, let us imagine boldly, act collectively, and evolve together. Our alternative is not just another economic system. In just merely stating that our alternative is to aim for survival, surely sets ourselves up for the same failing scarcity economy that we currently have. We should raise the bar and aim for the abundance economy.

[PaganzofLA]

Basically, yes, but what if just beneath that unknown we are to embrace there's something much more familiar than what we think. My economic theory was based on an episode of a ST Next Generation until I read Charles Eisenstein's Sacred Economics–––because before that in my mind money itself was the problem, but really it's not, it's those who have it and what they do with it (which means ALL of us, yes, but to whom much is given is the other part of that equation)

And for this reason I tend to think your assumption might better be framed as, "what is it you wake-up every day chomping on the bit for?"

I for one think the role of a cog is spot on. But I'm NOT your average Duck either. 

Capitalism needs to work better plain and simple. How does that happen? Regulations for one, but go ahead and open that pandora. Double dog dare ya... again my position is we can't rest, because we have an obligation to fix. 

FOR the past five years i have been subjected NOT just in a metaphorical sense, but in a real hands on demonstration of the problem we can't see because it's right in front of fucking faces. Yet most importantly I have list of action items longer than my dick typed out singl spacd with an 8pt font. 

For five years I've been subjected to a handful of individuals that are beyond just rich (measured in the financial sense of the word, yet some even in other senses too) who seem to have taken the vow that the more they rides buses and score food from food pantries somehow makes them more accountable, meanwhile they lie every second they can, initially having befriended me under false pretenses; plotting to have me evicted from the apartment i'm offering them shelter in. Why? Because they are adult children, that do not know how to manage what they been given. 

Next up, action items. ANYONE care to know,

just ask.

 

 

Edited January 22 by PaganzofLA

[TT2025]

Have to say, capitalism in its core isn't evil for starters - it's just a system. Plain and simple. Its up to governments to set the required (and enforced) parameters but it works. This is huge thing. One big reason for it is its self regulating qualities of a sort - You set the parameters and everything adjust to them on its own with time, so as a governor of the system you need to watch it and implement checks and balances on the move (this is manageable).

Other systems tend to be top-to-bottom managed and it eventually fails, because there is no capacity to micromanage everything. I remember the last days of USSR and there was literally not even enough toilet paper and women had to make their the sanitary pads - you guessed it there were none to be found in the stores. As a child a remember eating meat only in preschool, and one day a week at home - what an utopia! Well I have survived one shot at "alternative" system and don't want to try the other. I don't actually understand that everyone is yawning how dire the situation is, cause in general we never had it so good.

Good questions are:
- Why it works and how it self regulates?
- What are the consequences?
- Why other systems tend to fail?

In my opinion the basic principle is well understood SUPPLY - DEMAND set the PRICE creating a balance state.Other system tend to meddle it this basic principle too much so they create imbalances in the system as a whole.

And really important component is that you can do as you like if you abide to the rules set by the government. Why it is essential is well stated in Two Concepts of Liberty (by Isaiah Berlin). I encourage everyone contemplating new socio-economic systems to read this piece first.

[tallslenderguy]

idk, this is such a big and complex topic, it's hard for me to sum it all up in one word: "capitalism."  i think life in general, along with all the labels and points of reference we assign for the sake of communication, is always fluid ("evolving"), and the only static state is death... and one can debate if there really is such an absolute state, or if death is just another state of evolution? 

On 1/20/2025 at 5:09 AM, rpup said:

 

We must be willing to advocate for stronger safety nets and equal rights for all. We do this by educating ourselves and others on how current systems work, how they fail, and we also stand up and take what we’re entitled to, not in the face of shame, and demand more. If we accept that time is finite, then surely we must also accept that our economic systems must evolve to meet the demands of the present, not the ideals of the past.

 

What is/are the qualifier/s of "entitlement?" That's an honest question, not intended to be a challenge.

This is my experience in the American capitalist system.

i can see the argument that i grew up advantaged as a white male. i grew up the only non-hispanic in a working class neighborhood. my neighbors were all trades people, and they were evidently progressing. my dad was the child of off the boat immigrants, lost his mom the first year after his birth and was (literally) farmed out to his grandmother and raised on a farm with his grandmother and uncles till he was 12. At that point, his aging and dying grandmother sent him to in Los Angeles with a father and stepmother who he'd really never met or known. His dad tried to molest him, stepmom intervened, but his dad required him to quit school and get a job, so he only ever had an 8th grade education. He provided a life for me that he never had, one where i was secure and provided for until i graduated high school. i had a job from the age of 14, and my dad built a strong 'work ethic' into me (lol, made me do a lot of labor around the house from age 7). He considered me an adult who would make his own way after i graduated HS. i had worked and paid for my own car while in HS, and at 17 went to Canada to bible college. He loaned me the money for my first semester, and that was as far as i got. When i came home at semester break, i found he and my mom had sold my car, and a lot of my childhood belongings, to reimburse himself for the school loan. So, obviously, there is a "God" as evidenced by the fact i only went to a semester of bible college.

Still, i was religiously conditioned and became a member of a cult is an effort to not be gay (long story). Got married, to a woman, and worked in the system managing to make my way into executive management over time. i built and ran  a business for an absentee owner for 21 years. Took a nearly bankrupt business and 21 years later the owner came to me and informed me he'd sold the business, which was then a 14m a year business. It changed hands the next day. At the same time, i had finally processed myself out of religious conditioning and was separating from my then wife. As a sideline to running and building a business for another, i also flipped houses for 18 years and made a small fortune and was debt free at age 43, with a home valued at half a million, owned free and clear, on 31 acres of 100 year old hardwood growth.  The sale of the business, and my divorce, all happened about the same time, and my former wife got everything (another long story). But at 52, i started over in every sense of the word.

i found another job running a business for another person, but lost that job during the 2008 economic downturn. That turned out to be a good thing. i lost the job on a Friday, went to check out a private nursing school on Monday, took an entrance exam for that school on Wednesday, and was accepted on Thursday. i was the first person in my family to earn a college degree (BSN).. at age 56. Because of my prior position and making six figures, i had to take school loans at a very high interest rate (9%) to pay my way, even though i was jobless and my former wife had gotten everything materially that i had worked my whole life for (not whining, that is what happened though). i wracked up over 100K in student loans and got my first job as a critical care nurse making less than 30k a year. Essentially, i've worked my ass off that last 12 years, the student loans were paid in full 4 years ago and i will have my current house paid for in another 2 years. 

This is not an argument for the American system of capitalism, just a short summary of my own experience.  Granted, i've worked really hard, and still do, but i do not resent having to make the effort... i'm even grateful (to whom or what, i know not) for what i have and have been able to do. 

Oh, and i'm a huge Star Trek fan. 

And i have no idea why i wrote all of this? Maybe because it's my life in this system and i can only speculate how things might have gone in another system. i'm glad i wasn't born in North Korea, but i do think the French, Spanish, Scandinavia, have some things going on that we are missing out on, and i appreciate the discussion. 

 

[rawboyz]

Wow! Not only have you experienced challenges in your life, you are an articulate writer, too. You deserve to be happy and fulfilled. Thanks for sharing your perspective here.

[hntnhole]

On 1/20/2025 at 8:09 AM, rpup said:

We should raise the bar and aim for the abundance economy

Thanks, rpup.  That was simply splendidly said.  

[Erik62]

8 hours ago, tallslenderguy said:

idk, this is such a big and complex topic, it's hard for me to sum it all up in one word: "capitalism."  i think life in general, along with all the labels and points of reference we assign for the sake of communication, is always fluid ("evolving"), and the only static state is death... and one can debate if there really is such an absolute state, or if death is just another state of evolution? 

What is/are the qualifier/s of "entitlement?" That's an honest question, not intended to be a challenge.

This is my experience in the American capitalist system.

i can see the argument that i grew up advantaged as a white male. i grew up the only non-hispanic in a working class neighborhood. my neighbors were all trades people, and they were evidently progressing. my dad was the child of off the boat immigrants, lost his mom the first year after his birth and was (literally) farmed out to his grandmother and raised on a farm with his grandmother and uncles till he was 12. At that point, his aging and dying grandmother sent him to in Los Angeles with a father and stepmother who he'd really never met or known. His dad tried to molest him, stepmom intervened, but his dad required him to quit school and get a job, so he only ever had an 8th grade education. He provided a life for me that he never had, one where i was secure and provided for until i graduated high school. i had a job from the age of 14, and my dad built a strong 'work ethic' into me (lol, made me do a lot of labor around the house from age 7). He considered me an adult who would make his own way after i graduated HS. i had worked and paid for my own car while in HS, and at 17 went to Canada to bible college. He loaned me the money for my first semester, and that was as far as i got. When i came home at semester break, i found he and my mom had sold my car, and a lot of my childhood belongings, to reimburse himself for the school loan. So, obviously, there is a "God" as evidenced by the fact i only went to a semester of bible college.

Still, i was religiously conditioned and became a member of a cult is an effort to not be gay (long story). Got married, to a woman, and worked in the system managing to make my way into executive management over time. i built and ran  a business for an absentee owner for 21 years. Took a nearly bankrupt business and 21 years later the owner came to me and informed me he'd sold the business, which was then a 14m a year business. It changed hands the next day. At the same time, i had finally processed myself out of religious conditioning and was separating from my then wife. As a sideline to running and building a business for another, i also flipped houses for 18 years and made a small fortune and was debt free at age 43, with a home valued at half a million, owned free and clear, on 31 acres of 100 year old hardwood growth.  The sale of the business, and my divorce, all happened about the same time, and my former wife got everything (another long story). But at 52, i started over in every sense of the word.

i found another job running a business for another person, but lost that job during the 2008 economic downturn. That turned out to be a good thing. i lost the job on a Friday, went to check out a private nursing school on Monday, took an entrance exam for that school on Wednesday, and was accepted on Thursday. i was the first person in my family to earn a college degree (BSN).. at age 56. Because of my prior position and making six figures, i had to take school loans at a very high interest rate (9%) to pay my way, even though i was jobless and my former wife had gotten everything materially that i had worked my whole life for (not whining, that is what happened though). i wracked up over 100K in student loans and got my first job as a critical care nurse making less than 30k a year. Essentially, i've worked my ass off that last 12 years, the student loans were paid in full 4 years ago and i will have my current house paid for in another 2 years. 

This is not an argument for the American system of capitalism, just a short summary of my own experience.  Granted, i've worked really hard, and still do, but i do not resent having to make the effort... i'm even grateful (to whom or what, i know not) for what i have and have been able to do. 

Oh, and i'm a huge Star Trek fan. 

And i have no idea why i wrote all of this? Maybe because it's my life in this system and i can only speculate how things might have gone in another system. i'm glad i wasn't born in North Korea, but i do think the French, Spanish, Scandinavia, have some things going on that we are missing out on, and i appreciate the discussion. 

 

In Australia 🇦🇺 there is a double barrelled problem, taxes & entitlement. Nobody wants to pay appropriate taxes, according to wealth, & everybody wants free education, health, well functioning public transport etc. 

    Added to this, we continually have governments controlling social security (as they should) & whose Dept. workers are loathe to support, understand their applicants. It is all to easy to simply write a person off as disabled (to live life on sub-par payments), than to find jobs & employers to fit the parsons disability. 

    We then flip the coin & find thousands, on unemployment benefits, who are quite happy to eke out a meagre existance, whilst never having to commit to most societies social tenets of working for a living. 

    Scandinavia, although NOT PERFECT, is the best example of combining wealth with social care & opportunity. 

[hntnhole]

18 hours ago, Erik62 said:

Scandinavia

Which of the Scandinavian nations do you mean .... 

[Erik62]

I believe all ( Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland & Iceland) have similar, shall we say "Socialist" dynamics in there government systems. Taxes are high but the benefits are huge. 

  Sweden (personal family knowledge) has an excellent system of social integration. A cousin who suffered significant health issues which required care facility placement. This was found, in local area, within months, the food was restaurant quality, OT & physio all top notch & larger accommodation was quickly found when hubby decided to move in with wife. She unfortunately passed a few weeks ago but, her last days were spent being well looked after.

    These facilities are certainly not available in Australia, except at huge cost that only the wealthy can afford. Placement times in government facilties are horrendous as is provision of treatment, food & recreation. Trained staff levels are a constant issue. 

   Private schools are not common as State sponsored education is world class & University placements do not incur massive debt as happens in Australia. 

    Metro transport services are also of a far superior quality to those in Australia. 

    In both Copenhagen (dislocated shoulder) & Stockholm (5 fractured ribs & twisted knee) I required emergency care. Both hospitals had provided X-rays, MRI's & tests that would NEVER be considered in Australia's hospitals & I was in & discharged within 6-8hrs. Here I would be lucky, if even seen after 12hrs & most probably not seen for 24+hrs. 

    Big problem now is the abuse of the system by illegal immigrants who feel it is their right to access, without having contributed in any way. Right wing government won last election, first time since 1940.

    Social benefits are unattainable without proportional taxation & in Australia & now obviously the US, this is something that is not acceptable. 

[hntnhole]

17 hours ago, Erik62 said:

Social benefits are unattainable without proportional taxation

and that's the rub:  the more "advanced" the country is, the more "enlightened" it's Government is in providing what most deem "necessary" healthcare services.  There is no "free lunch" - or free healthcare - or free childcare - or free anything - for very long.  So if one wants a more "socialist" Government, then get your ass out in the streets and start demonstrating for one.  Join organizations reflecting your views.  Sitting in our chairs complaining accomplishes nothing.  

When formerly "advanced" nations (or soon to be "formerly") regress, seem to turn inwards, blame others for their troubles, become far too eager to point the finger at scapegoats, refuse to educate their children properly, on and on, they wind up losing any claim to leadership in the world. 

The citizens begin to wonder why their nation is no longer held in esteem, and look for reasons to point to.  A mindset of "it's the other guy's fault" takes hold, and the vortex of disunity sucks in all those who don't understand what's happening or why. 

When potential answers come, they are disputed over the tiniest of details, often with rancorous exchanges.  The resultant "blame the other guy" never works well.  If we're too busy with the minutia of casting blame on X personage, Y policy, we miss the larger picture.  It's eeeeasy to sit and bitch, but never productive.  There's something every person can actually  "do".  

To the OP, when we get what we pay for, most folks are satisfied.  When that's no longer the case, we tend to look around for some other guy to blame.  Look instead for something to do.  Take part.  Write letters.  Join orgs in your area that suit your viewpoint.

 

 

17 hours ago, Erik62 said:

abuse of the system by illegal immigrants

When formerly "advanced" nations (or soon to be "formerly") regress, seem to turn inwards, blame others for their troubles, become far too eager to point the finger at scapegoats, refuse to educate their children properly, on and on, they wind up losing any claim to leadership in the world. 

The citizens begin to wonder why their nation is no longer held in esteem, and look for reasons to point to.  A mindset of "it's the other guy's fault" takes hold, and the vortex of disunity sucks in all those who don't understand what's happening or why. 

When potential answers come, they are disputed over the tiniest of details, often with rancorous exchanges.  The resultant "blame the other guy" never works well.  If we're too busy with the minutia of casting blame on X personage, Y policy, we miss the larger picture.  It's eeeeasy to sit and bitch, but never productive.  There's something every person can actually  "do".  

To the OP, when we get what we pay for, most folks are satisfied.  When that's no longer the case, we tend to look around for some other guy to blame. 

Look instead for something to do.  Take part.  Write letters.  Join orgs in your area that suit your viewpoint.  

[PrisonbaiT]

Did read in the paper today that big tech in the USA have lost 2150 million the last 2 months alone, from shares.  Shareholders are choosing other nations to invest in.  Obvious being close to Trump is bad for business, or is giving them a bad name.  Also Bitcoins are tumbling down like Rockets.  No pun intented LoL 

[PozBearWI]

Being with Trump has always been bad for business.  The rise in Trumpism didn't start by his trading partners.  It started when the few very rich learned they could exploit him to get all the money.  This is a power stuggle, not a financial struggle; at least for them.  

[rawfuckingonly]

9 hours ago, PrisonbaiT said:

Did read in the paper today that big tech in the USA have lost 2150 million the last 2 months alone, from shares.  Shareholders are choosing other nations to invest in.  Obvious being close to Trump is bad for business, or is giving them a bad name.  Also Bitcoins are tumbling down like Rockets.  No pun intented LoL 

Did you now? You read that, huh? And from what source? What paper was that in? 

[BootmanLA]

On 3/9/2025 at 5:09 PM, PozBearWI said:

Being with Trump has always been bad for business.  The rise in Trumpism didn't start by his trading partners.  It started when the few very rich learned they could exploit him to get all the money.  This is a power stuggle, not a financial struggle; at least for them.  

Especially malign foreign actors. Trump didn't give a fuck if the money was looted from Russian and other former Soviet industries seized by the government and bestowed on Putin's kleptocratic partners; that money was a lifeline in his never-ending cash-draining "business" [sic] dealings. He laundered money by the tens of millions for the Russian version of the mob, and you can be assured they kept very good records of it.