Towards a Post Capitalist Model – Brainstorming New Paradigm Characteristics.
Capitalism (private ownership) and communism (public ownership) are failed economic models as is our pseudo democracy a failed political model. The least said about ultra-right and ultra-left radical fascist political models the better.
The third (capitalist) way ( a mixed economy, Tony Blair etc) is a non-starter, a veneer to hide the old capitalist model.
The “third sector” has become a minefield of conflicting interests almost all at odds with the principal objective of any organization. Ethical/moral foundations are at best shaky or at worst quick-clay.
The industrial revolution is over. The digital revolution is withering.
In the past: human having (You are what you own!) (Big, fast car, nice house, designer clothes)
At the present: human doing (You are what you do!)( … and post on Facebook lol)
In the future: human being (You are what you are!) (??????)
A new model is needed and it must be a paradigm shift.
Independent of the name we give it, it may well have most or all of the following characteristics:
(Note: these are ideas/concepts i.e. there are no clear definitions at this stage)
Main goals/aims/objectives: (simple not complex) sustainability, good quality of life (what measures? happiness), peace, love, rich cultures
(Chico Xavier – Rico é aquele que tem mais amor nos corações dos outros)
Goal: Live life to the full. Measure it by ‘quality of life’. What is measured depends on the (new) values of the post-capitalist society. What will be valued?
No hierarchical structures. No top down, narrow channels of communication.
Common(s) ownership. No “enclosures” and no private or public ownership.
What is the Commons? It is nothing more than the natural and man-made infrastructure. The question is how to ensure sustained public access to the Common infrastructure, the resources of which are foundational? (fundamental).
Gaia principle – Stewardship of natural resources not pillage. “Mother Earth provides for everyone’s need but not for everyone’s greed” i.e. NOT meeting multiplying needs BUT voluntary reduction of needs (definition of “need” is important here)
Shared values
Input resources of value: to be rewarded - somehow? Time? Skills and abilities? Attitude? Effort? Goodwill?
Time is the most important resource because it is irrecoverable. When it has gone, it has gone.(is this right here?) Is there parity? i.e. one doctor hour = one teacher hour = one babysitter hour = one manager hour = one responsibility hour
Other valued characteristics
- Respect: based on wisdom/experience/knowledge NOT age
- Diversity, creativity (e.g. through new needs, parallel and disruptive thinking), honesty, truth, trustworthiness, transparency, fun, innovation
Family, friendship, community spirit, (friendliness?)
Self-expression and autonomy within a community
Additional positive aspects: industrialization dies, continued urbanization is unnecessary,
A local network structure - “Think globally act locally”
Horizontal architecture – horizontal relationships - horizontally distributed but all interconnected.
A social network??? A community?? “a web of trust”
Expansion - lateral
Individualism replaced by collaboration (collectivism?)
Collaboration not competition
Access not ownership
Abundance not scarcity
Interdependence NEITHER dependence NOR independence
Isolation, distancing and ‘slavery’ replaced by participation
Exclusion replaced by inclusion.
No nations. The Family of Man umbrella concept.
Local face-to-face networks, (almost?) all control
Multilayer “neural network’ model = e.g. 3 layers???
Regional networks of networks – for guidance, sharing workable ideas adaptable to local conditions.
Global network of regional networks – for what? nothing? Waiting to be kidnapped by control freaks?
A management structure
Solidarity economic entities, such as cooperatives and collectives, will deal with commons direct management. These entities will be managed directly and democratically by the people working in them, who will be rewarded in a dignified manner for their services by the attended communities. On the other hand, the public deliberative institutions (communities) should have mechanisms for supervision and control over these management entities, in order to prevent them from enclosing them.
What is social capital vs What is social currency ????? Are they the same thing?
Darwin’s Socialization – who saves a stranger from a fire – altruism?? Is this the hIghest value social capital?
What is an individual ecological footprint? is it capital? currency?
Intellectual capital - know how (individual vs shared – shared intellectual capital generates wealth? “teaching” generates wealth? ) (intellectual capital replaced by intellectual ability???? strange? what does this idea mean?)
3-D printing eliminates individual intellectual capital and ideas like “patents”
emotional capital? how does this concept fit in? (What is emotional intelligence? Is it different? I have kept calm at times of crisis when people around are emotionally upset. What is that? )
Cultural capital?? – cultures and sub cultures……, type cultures (kid culture, granny culture, sportsman culture, arts culture, music culture, literature culture etc etc??)
BEWARE of creating an underclass who have no social or human capital at all.
No dog-eat-dog competition. Fun competition. (is there other ‘healthy’ competition?)
No amateur/professional binomial
Self challenges. (Can / can’t. Personal bests)
A New Economic System – blockchains, local currency, social currency
The main point is to decentralize and democratize the power to create money (currency) and to create a monetary mass (GLP – Gross Local Product) that cannot be bled (to tax havens, a rich man’s account etc. or invested in China (i.e. not locally ) )
Production for consumption
Production for barter/exchange (within communities/ between regions / globally ?)
Production for sale in local social currency
Long lasting design not a throw-away mentality. (No race to the bottom –diminishing quality to reduce costs)
Re-use, recycle, repair, restore, refurbish
No need for economy of scale to reduce cost. (What happens to the Peixe Urbano concept? Disappears)
All production is local via almost-no-waste 3-D printing. Local production = local delivery.
Almost zero labour costs = more free time for people
Cost is near to fair/true cost of production. Marginal costs are almost zero. No middle men at all. No bank charges or high interest rates..
This new system should generate very low cost health care (alternative therapies and medicines), very low cost education, and very low cost energy (renewables), communications (internet, smartphones, apps) and logistics – (local production)
Aggregation of value along supply chains will disappear.
Reduction of all property values. New concept of ownership (what? short term leasehold instead of long term freehold??? Possession is 90% of the law?????)
Property values based on utility not demand (i.e.market forces)
Worth/value remains the same – no “added” value
A circular economy (whatever that means)
Individual social contribution generates new wealth by being fairly rewarded.
An individual can contribute to the Common wealth by having (producing), doing (services) or being (responsibilities)
Total capital (accumulated GLP?) belongs to all. It cannot be bled off. It is a community-constitutionally- guaranteed closed system. (via blockchain technology??)
Some communities will be more successful than others (in terms of GCP – gross community product) There could be a results-triggered bonus system based on each and every individual contribution.
Value is not generated by market forces but on the true cost of production (measured in time? similar to Spiritist bonus horas……or banco de horas in a Brazilian business)
Individuals and groups support each other using zero or low interest credit.
(Remember that, currently, slavery to the system is proportional to your current debt and freedom from the system is proportional to your current free capital.)
Is there a need for/ a place for meritocratic dimension e.g. one doctor hour = two nursing hours = three cleaning or coffee making hours ?????
Common(s) ownership/legal system
A merging of the commons and the solidarity economy will allow society to collectively draw the set of rules by which to regulate the usage of commons,
A FAIR (policing) system
The individual who benefits without contributing is robbing the whole system/everybody else.
They are a pariah in the community – almost punishment enough.
Duties and obligations are matched to rights.
privacy vs transparency….blockchain gives transparency of transactions while maintining personal privacy….(Is that a good thing?)
