The Need to Replace Capitalism
I lead a small monthly environmental book club in my hometown. Over the past four years, we have read and discussed about twenty-five books on the environment. A few of them talk about the need for fundamental restructuring in our society. But hardly any of them use the word “capitalism.”
I regularly read articles online about the climate emergency. Many of these articles describe the lack of progress in limiting carbon emissions, the increase in extreme weather conditions, the increasing number of fires, the melting of the Greenland ice cap, the disproportionate impact of the climate crisis on frontline nations, and so on. There is little mention of capitalism in the mainstream press. This deeply troubles me.
I do not think that human beings can end global warming under capitalism. The profits to be made by burning fossil fuels and destroying ecosystems are immense. And the people who will make the most profits control both the corporations that make the profits and the governments that allow them to make the profits.
It will be difficult to replace capitalism with an economic system in which all humans can flourish. I think that not using the word “capitalism” increases the difficulty. It is important that people know that the “enemy” is the economic system and not people. It is important that we not let our fear of being attacked affect our naming and describing the real cause of the problems we face.
I encourage you to discharge on your experiences with capitalism:
- How did your ancestors support themselves?
- How has capitalism affected you and your family?
- What were your parents’ attitudes toward capitalism?
- When did you first notice that there were differences in wealth among people?
- When did you learn about the effects of capitalism, colonialism, and imperialism on other people? (Colonialism and imperialism are the “children” of capitalism.)
The following is a possible commitment to end capitalism. (explanation of RC commitments) I invite you to try it out in a Co-Counseling session and then send me your suggestions for how the wording might be improved.
Although capitalism has provided many benefits for some people, it relies on the exploitation of workers, the destruction of ecosystems, and the emission of CO2 from burning fossil fuels, which have had horrible effects on human beings and the ecosystems we live in.
I commit myself to continuing to learn about the effects of capitalism and to working to transform it into an economic system in which the world’s resources are shared equitably and the essential ones are preserved forever—a system in which no one is exploited, people care for each other, the planet’s ecosystems flourish, and nuclear weapons and all forms of war are eliminated.
I will never be silent about the importance of ending capitalism.
If you want to make the transformation of society a priority in your life’s work, I encourage you to join the RC e-mail discussion list for leaders in the transformation of society.
Santa Barbara, California, USA
julian@weissglass.net
Reprinted from the RC e-mail discussion list for leaders in the transformation of society
(Present Time 210, January 2023)