It’s funny. To me, neoliberalism is not capitalism. Neoliberalism seems to be more like fascism. Many private companies but with over bearing state control (regulations, price fixing, central banks, etc). Proper capitalism doesn’t have state regulations or central banks, etc.
Great episode, many people tried to stop AI (generative AI) from coming into the world but failed to do so. Now, nobody can stop it from developing and getting better, and perhaps scarier as well.
Anarcho-capitalism is not a thing. It’s an oxymoron-the two are mutually exclusive. You cannot have capitalism and anarchism at the same time because anarchism is inherently socialist (as it should be).
It's funny to hear anyone use capitalism in an attempt to promote socialism. Example, entertainers like TS sell "nostalgia" because people are willing to pay money for it and entertainers aren't, for the most part, in the business for charity but, rather, to make money. It's a purely capitalistic endeavor. Do you ever find it odd that the only socialist nations that prosper are those who trade with capitalistic nations? Fact is, socialism can't work without capitalism propping it up. That's "capitalistic realism".
Great episode, Steve! I'd love to hear more about communitarianism in future discussions. This episode reminded me of something I'd like to share. Back in 2017, I started working for a company that valued philosophy so highly that every employee underwent a two-week crash course on utilitarianism, Kant, Rawls, Sandel, and other philosophers and ideas. Thanks to your podcast, I excelled during those two weeks. So, I guess this is my way of saying thank you for everything!
Richard Wolff and Democracy at Work have a good take on this. If we had democracy in the workplace, in general, people wouldn't vote against their 34:36 . If we preach and promote democracy everywhere, why not the workplace? It is the place that most adults spend most of their time outside of the home.
The video sounds a bit like this... " The NBA is oppresive to short people" the only reason michael jordan and lebron are praised is because they are tall and athletic. Maybe we should change everything so the handicapped and the blind benefit from the league. We are going to tie michael jordan from the legs and hands and give the handicapped a 75 point lead...maybe then it will be more just and fair". I guarantee the amount of people who would want to watch would be zero. Im done with this gospel of envy cringe-fest.
The institutional "philosophers" of today are nothing more than shills backed by multi trillion dollar think tanks. The same people who have financed both sides of war since... forever. This M.O. has been rebranded for over 2 centuries. Rome had learned that the europeans were not going to be conquered easily. So the tactic they used was of a superior moral framework that was only able to take roots once most of the real men were sent to die in the crusades. That is when these byzantine families were able to intermarry the nobility of europe. By financing wars and crusades, bailing them out of debt and outright bribing. When that didn't work they would turn other nations against the enemy who wouldn't cooperate. The world hasn't changed much as you can see.
It is almost scary that you spela of gramsci as some sort of hero and defender of the proletariat when the truth is that he was just another saint in the gospel of envy...the results of cultural marxism speak for themselves. Over 100million dead..usually the best members of society. Merit is thrown out the window and the equality that is reached is one where people are willing to die just to escape.
I think newer iterations of Star Trek are a great example of capitalist realism. Old Trek imagined a world which was fundamentally different, in which individuals had very different priorities in a very different society. It was also a world in which humans had resolved most of their differences, and learned to live together. In new Trek, the possibility of change is entirely forgotten about - some people even say it is "more realistic", which is a telling phrase. Even if newer shows pay some lip service to the economics of the future being different, the actual results of that society still appear in may ways to be identical to a capitalist society (albeit a more futuristic and gentler one). It's a matter of record that the TNG writers struggled with Rodenberry's vision of a postcapitalist future, but at least they managed to portray it to some degree. Modern Trek writers seem to be entirely incapable of making the same imaginative leap, even when they have footsteps to follow in. It really is like capitalism has such a hold on their minds, that it is easier to imagine an entire universe of alien races, weird technologies and space battles, than to imagine anything could be fundamentally different in economic, political, or cultural terms.
You’ve been doing all this for more than 10 years, that is beyond impressive, great episode by the way, speaking and thinking about conciseness always tickles my brain.
Isn't expecting new culture to consume every decade something that is very new in human history? Perhaps going back to classics is the more natural and better state for humans rather than craving new stuff to consuuum
You are an academic right? How can you say that liberals just talk about racial tolerance rather than economic and material changes when huge changes have been made in regards to schooling (academics) to try and reduce the racial gaps. I can understand academics wanting to hide THEIR failure to reduce the academic achievement gaps (it must be systemic racism and not the teachers or students fault).
Its easy to think beyond capitalism. The problem is people won't give up their creature comforts to get there. Also the revolutionary interim period attracts the ambitions of tyrants that corrupt the movement and soil its reputation beyond repair.
3:08 "why do you think murder is wrong" Because acts of killing we support (*) aren't refered to as murder. (*) abortion, euthenasia, slaughter of animals, killing enemy insurgents. 6:30 "you are just better if you do philosophy" - philisophers "The benefits are obvious" superior thinking on display.😂
Professional philosopher: <spends five minutes qualifying statements, unable to capture its nuance in a short format podcast> Random RU-vid comment: “Ya Zizek is the dumb man’s smart philosopher.”
aw man you were almostbthere at around 13:10. Putting others in charge will never be able to address peoples needs on the ground because they are removed from the decision making process. Then you go on to say fkng businesses and their markers 🤦🏽 enterprise and markets should be run by the workers who are the only ones in a position to look out for their own itnerests and those of the communities that they inhabit. Direct democracy and collective ownership at the workplace. Expecting a business to do this is again just putting someone else in charge who acts more like a king and his court than any sort of democracy.
I’m pretty sure I’ve figured out how capitalism will end. Demographic decline will lead to a failure of it. It will be replaced by a zero growth economy. Examples of this through history are bleak AF.
I know people who intensly dislike philosophy. They think its pointless and is just a tool to confuse people. One of these persons is my father; but I love philosophy and even studied it in college (primarily ethics and epistemology). I think the reflexive opposition to this study is a natural response to defend ones worldview. It can be quite painful and difficult to have your views changed, especially if this includes accepting some level of shame in a previous view.
Why would someone be ashamed of their previous view? Might be projection. Nketsche describes this attitude from another angle. "When a philosopher changes his mind he'll act acs if he discovered a new fundamenral truth about the universe"
After only listening to the last two episodes of your cast w/ Fisher, that was thrust across my RU-vid feed unbidden, but I believe I've previously subscribed to your podcast years ago but have no recollection of ever really listening to it; current Austrian economist Saifedean Ammous's work around monetary policy and economics would seem to be an explanation and counterpoint to the condition that your outlining with Fisher.
It's interesting that you use the 70's as a high point of diverse popular musical expression, as that was when Bretton Woods collapsed, and the current system embarked...yes I was a very young listener starting exactly in 1970 with my first AM radio...
Capitalism and free markets would be better. Unfortunately we are living with crony/vulture capitalism. I blamed capitalism for the state of the world for a long time, but now it is clear to me the system is rigged. The people in charge do not have the power to change things, but are incentified to perpetuate the system. Endless growth by printing money on finite planet is destined to fail. Fix the money, fix the world! #brokenmoney
Wouldn’t CRONNY CAPITALISM Be the word for the neoliberalism which was somewhat subverted? People have always acted in the own self best interest. It’s not comfortable to internalize that whatsoever but it’s absolutely certain. I find it amazing so many different philosophies miss this or minimize it. There is No Solutions but only trade offs as Dr. Thomas Sowell so efficiently states. This Era has been infected horribly with this growing LACK OF PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY. And that goes for our public officials/government the most! Example , oh the debacle of 2020-2024 within our public health institutions……. The damage and lurking danger, like destroyed public trust to name just one, can’t even be remotely estimated.
PhilosophizeThis: we are going to explore change from within the capitalist system rather than radical critiques of or departures from it! Also PhilosophizeThis: why do we allow the market to decide just about everything and where did our democracy go?
The organ donor example seems like a terrible example. What utilitarian calculation would not take into account 2nd and 3rd (etc) order effects, including the context of the current society and ultimate goals? Edit: Ok reached the end and very much looking forward to your video(s) related to utilitarianism. Still think a word or two about why that example was naive would have helped.
Now as a libertarian I don't see that this is the ethos of capitalism to consider everyone and everything as commodity. This is the leftist point of view, because as materialist you see the world in this way. For me the world is get what you want and see what you desire to see. If you are content with beeing someone who doesn't own anything, then it's fine. The thing on individualiasm that many leftists don't get is that I don't care, and noone should care about on how others lead their life. In capitalism you have the option to just say fuck off to everyone and live in your own desired state. Then you come with: sense of security, sense of social interaction. What if someone gets in bad situations just because? Then I answer as human being we have all or some of us have at least the spirit to help each other out if we know an individual. We don't need the government to do this. We need more and more interaction and togetherness. And this is not achieved through social wellfare, law enforcement and moral guides. This is achieved out of need, because people get in contact with each other if they need or desire something. This is the bound holding us together. This is capitalism. Out of the desire for things cooperative interaction emerge - the full opposite of what in this episode was suggested that capitalism causes. Capitalism offer us a way of beeing that we never had before. Capitalism is the only system that really allows you to shut off yourself from society and live the life you want. Noone is expecting something of you, at least this should be the way. But why do we have still this feeling? That we must become something? That we must get things done? And I blame the government and our social morality for it. In school you get an image of what is success, you get shaped into what means to own a value and that you could only live if you deliver value for society. But this is bullshit. No one has to be anything if he doesn't want to. You can get money in such easy ways and the world is so vastly open, the only thing you have to see is your own will. Nothing else matters. We will all die and what matters is that we without harming others live in such a way that we see our life as worth it. Not for a cause or a system. Just because. Just for the sake of curiosity and experience. And why shouldn't you don't care about others in a fully capitalist society? It's bullshit to say that capitalism causes people to just not care about others. I love the approach of Alan Watts: someone who goes crazy about the ego and gets so individualistic will find that his ego only exists because of others. Just letting you with this thoughts.
And you may say, there's a paradox in my opinion, as I'm saying noone should care about other people lifes. No I didn't say that. I said people should not care about on how people lead their life. Our choices are ours, independently of external factors, this is an undeniable truth. Even if fate and psychological factors may interact with our will, in the end the carrying out of an interaction was done by the individuals hand. But we can care about the consequences of actions that led individuals to a bad life situation, and we can help them out. No one forbids.
