gdi 12 pre institute capitalism k

8/10/2019 GDI 12 Pre Institute Capitalism K

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GDI 2K12 1/46Pre Institute Evidence Set Capitalism K

**Capitalism K**


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1NC

The pu lic transp!rtati!n p!lic" the 1ac la"s !ut cann!t e div!rced #r!m the

ne!li eral drive t! create place ased advanta$es #!r Capital%&armer' 2(11 Stephanie, Sociology @ Roosevelt, Uneven public transportation development in neoliberalizingChicago, USA Environment and Planning A 43

!ntroduction"ublic transportation, as one crucial component o# a city$s transportation net%or&, enables the mobilityand #lo% o# people and goods that ma&e cities livable' "ublic transportation plays a vital role in the urbaneconomy in that it creates place(based advantages, #acilitates the circulation o# capital, and attractsinvestment in local real estate mar&ets' At the level o# everyday lived e)perience, public transit shapesand constrains opportunity *time it ta&es to access +obs, schools, and services and sociospatial relationsinto the built environment' !n many places, public transportation is also %ielded as an instrument o#

po%er, dominance, and social control, entrenching the privileges o# the a##luent and the disadvantages o#%or&ing people into the built environment *-raham and .arvin, 00 ' 1here#ore, trends in publictransportation in#rastructure and service levels constitute one dimension o# uneven geographicaldevelopment in urban areas' .y research considers the %ays in %hich neoliberalism and global city

building are shaping ne% patterns o# uneven geographic development in the public transit sector by#ocusing on public transportation planning and investment in the city o# Chicago' 1he purpose o# my

paper is to contribute to the scholarship on the politics o# in#rastructure *2eil and oung, 00 5.c6arlane and Ruther#ord, 00 emphasizing the %ays in %hich in#rastructure and cities are producedand trans#ormed together in a global conte)t as %ell as ho% these processes contribute to urban#ragmentation and ine7uality'1he second part o# this paper positions my study in the literature on entrepreneurial urban governments,neoliberal public transportation pro+ects, and emerging sociospatial relations o# inclusion and e)clusion inthe global city' 1he third part e)amines public transportation planning and ne% construction pro+ectsta&ing place in the city o# Chicago in order to illustrate the impact o# neoliberalization on the geographyo# uneven public transportation development' 1he narrative %as assembled through a combination o#documents produced by government, transit and planning agencies, secondary sources *mostly

+ournalistic materials and documents produced by nonpro#it groups , intervie%s, and nonparticipantobservation o# community meetings' .y investigation o# Chicago$s public transportation policy revealsthat the city is sin&ing scarce transit #unds into pro+ects that trans#orm the do%nto%n Central Area into theimage o# a global city' 1hese global city public transit pro+ects are prioritized over e)panding access totransit #or %or&ing(class and minority residents living in transit(poor areas o# the city' Additionally, theneoliberal s7ueeze o# the public sector has resulted in declining service levels and the neglect o# basicmaintenance across the system, contributing to unreliable and poor public transportation service' 1hesetrends in public transportation policy pursued by the city o# Chicago reveal the nature o# unevengeographic development ta&ing shape %ithin this neoliberalizing city, %here the global city gro%thmachine #avors business elites over everyday users by e)cluding public transit investment in areas outsideo# Chicago$s global city do%nto%n sho%case zone' ! conclude %ith a discussion on ho% neoliberal publictransportation planning interloc&s %ith neoliberal housing policies enacted in the city o# Chicago to createne% patterns o# racial segregation and e)clusion'

Uneven development and public transportation neoliberalismSince the production o# space is inherently a social phenomenon, a theory o# uneven geographicdevelopment should be attuned to the particular articulation o# structural #orces and social relations incapitalist society' Uneven geographic development is produced by a constellation o# #actors consisting o#* the embedding o# capital accumulation processes in space5 * historical class, social, and politicalrelations contingent to a geography that privileges some places, social groups, or activities over others5


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GDI 2K12 ) /46Pre Institute Evidence Set Capitalism K

*3 the pree)isting built environment5 *4 institutional and political policies implemented in localities5 and*8 consumption pre#erences *9arvey, 00:, page ; ' 9arvey *


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*#inance, insurance, and real estate #irms cluster *Sassen,


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!ther $!als have ta.en !ver in pr!minence ' ut transit policy is slo%ly, almost imperceptibly, shi#ting a%ay#rom its broader social purposes' This shi#t a,a" #r!m meetin$ s!cial $!als to%ard the more narro%

purpose o# relieving tra##ic congestion, #r!m achievin$ e5uit" t!,ard merel" e##icienc"' is n!, in#luenced "a ne!li eral p!litical a$enda that separates the s!cial #r!m the ec!n!mic' causin$ planners t! l!se si$ht !# thepu lic purp!se !# mass transit 'In an emer$in$ ,!rld !rder ,here capitalism spreads merican st"le t! all c!rners !# the $l! e' three ma !r

pr! lems are ,idel" rec!$ni/ed " critics #r!m le#t t! ri$ht a c!ntinu!us threat !# ,ar- persistent ec!n!micine5ualit" that threatens t! disrupt the s!cial !rder- and a l!ss !# p!litical c!mmunit" that undermines !ura ilit" t! address da" t! da" pr! lems and decisions *-oone%ardena, 003 ' y %ay o# analysingtransportation policy, ! %ill set aside the 7uestion o# %ar even though ,e $r!, ever m!re dependent !n !ilt! #eed !ur bigger and #aster cars ' The recent headlines a !ut sur$in$ $as!line prices and the !n$!in$ ,arsin the 8iddle East add up t! a c!mpellin$ case that !ur hi$h,a" dependent li#est"les have as much t! d! ,iththe threat !# ,ar as perhaps an" !ther e+planati!n ' ut here ! #ocus on the t%o problems o# s!cialine5ualit" and the l!ss !# p!litical c!mmunit" because they !th ear !n #uture !utc!mes !# mass transitp!lic" '1he argument proceeds in three steps' 6irst, government support #or mass transit has long carried %ith ite)plicit social goals' 1he US #ederal government too& decisive steps starting in the


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conditions o# his production and reproduction as his o%n property' 1hey are no longer the sel#(evidentand socially sa#eguarded presuppositions o# his being, nor the natural presuppositions o# his sel# asconstitutive o# $his e)tended body$' Gn the contrary, they no% belong to a rei#ied $alien being$ %hocon#ronts the producers %ith its o%n demands and sub+ugates them to the material imperatives o# its o%nconstitution' 1hus the original relationship bet%een the sub+ect and ob+ect o# productive activity iscompletely overturned, reducing the human being to the dehumanized status o# a mere $material conditiono# production$' $9aving$ dominates $being$ in all spheres o# li#e' At the same time, the real sel# o# the

productive agents is destroyed through the #ragmentation and degradation o# %or& %hile they aresub+ugated to the brutalizing re7uirements o# the capitalist labour process' 1hey are ac&no%ledged aslegitimately e)isting $sub+ects$ only as the manipulated consumers o# commodities' !ndeed, they becomethe more cynically manipulated ( as the #ictitious $sovereign consumers$ ( the greater the pressure o# thedecreasing rate o# utilization' >aturally, under such circumstances and determinations the productivelyactive human beings cannot occupy their right#ul place as a human beings in capital$s e7uations, let alonecan they be considered %ithin the parameters o# the capital system as the true aim o# production' 1hecommodi#ied and rei#ied social relationship bet%een the productive sub+ects and their no% independentcontroller ( %ho, as a matter o# materially constituted and legally en#orced rights, acts as the sole

proprietor o# the conditions o# the %or&er$s production and sel#(reproduction (appear mysti#ying andimpenetrable' 7ually, the tas& o# social reproduction and metabolic interchange %ith nature is#etishistically de#ined as the reproduction o# the ob+ecti#ied/alienated conditions o# production o# %hichthe sentient human being is no more than a strictly subordinated part, as a $material #actor o# production$'And since the established productive system, under the rule o# capital, cannot reproduce itsel# unless itcan do so on an ever enlarged scale, production not only must be deemed the aim o# man&ind but (as amode o# production to %hich there cannot be any alternative (it must be premissed b the never(endingmultiplication o# material %ealth as the aim o# production'

EGE8>NIC I8PE?I 0IS8 &?>8 C PIT 0IS8 C 3SES EATINCTI>N&>STE? (9 * G9>, .G>19H R F! D, S "1 . R, FGH 8;, !SS 4 B>A2 J !." R!AH!S.E6rom the longer vie% o##ered by a historical(materialist criti7ue o# capitalism, the direction that %ould beta&en by U'S' imperialism #ollo%ing the #all o# the Soviet Union %as never in doubt' Capitalism by itsvery logic is a globally e)pansive system' 1he contradiction bet%een its transnational economic

aspirations and the #act that politically it remains rooted in particular nation states is insurmountable #orthe system' et, ill(#ated attempts by individual states to overcome this contradiction are +ust as much a

part o# its #undamental logic' !n present %orld circumstances, %hen one capitalist state has a virtualmonopoly o# the means o# destruction, the temptation #or that state to attempt to seize #ull(spectrumdominance and to trans#orm itsel# into the de #acto global state governing the %orld economy isirresistible' As the noted .ar)ian philosopher !stvKn .LszKros observed in Socialism or arbarismI* 00 M%ritten, signi#icantly, be#ore -eorge D' ush became president= BNDOhat is at sta&e today is notthe control o# a particular part o# the planetMno matter ho% largeMputting at a disadvantage but stilltolerating the independent actions o# some rivals, but the control o# its totality by one hegemoniceconomic and military superpo%er, %ith all meansMeven the most e)treme authoritarian and, i# needed,violent military onesMat its disposal'E1he unprecedented dangers o# this ne% global disorder are revealed in the t%in cataclysms to %hich the

%orld is heading at present= nuclear proli#eration and hence increased chances o# the outbrea& o# nuclear%ar, and planetary ecological destruction' 1hese are symbolized by the ush administrationPs re#usal tosign the Comprehensive 1est an 1reaty to limit nuclear %eapons development and by its #ailure to signthe 2yoto "rotocol as a #irst step in controlling global %arming' As #ormer U'S' Secretary o# Je#ense *inthe 2ennedy and ohnson administrations Robert .c>amara stated in an article entitled BApocalypseSoonE in the .ayQ une 008 issue o# 6oreign "olicy= B1he United States has never endorsed the policy o#

no #irst use,P not during my seven years as secretary or since' De have been and remain prepared toinitiate the use o# nuclear %eaponsMby the decision o# one person, the presidentMagainst either a nuclear or nonnuclear enemy %henever %e believe it is in our interest to do so'E 1he nation %ith the greatest


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GDI 2K12 B/46Pre Institute Evidence Set Capitalism K

conventional military #orce and the %illingness to use it unilaterally to enlarge its global po%er is also thenation %ith the greatest nuclear #orce and the readiness to use it %henever it sees #itMsetting the %hole%orld on edge' 1he nation that contributes more to carbon dio)ide emissions leading to global %armingthan any other *representing appro)imately a 7uarter o# the %orldPs total has become the greatest obstacleto addressing global %arming and the %orldPs gro%ing environmental problemsMraising the possibilityo# the collapse o# civilization itsel# i# present trends continue'1he United States is see&ing to e)ercise sovereign authority over the planet during a time o# %ideningglobal crisis= economic stagnation, increasing polarization bet%een the global rich and the global poor,%ea&ening U'S' economic hegemony, gro%ing nuclear threats, and deepening ecological decline ' 1heresult is a heightening o# international instability' Gther potential #orces are emerging in the %orld, suchas the uropean Community and China, that could eventually challenge U'S' po%er, regionally and evenglobally' 1hird %orld revolutions, #ar #rom ceasing, are beginning to gain momentum again, symbolized

by FenezuelaPs olivarian Revolution under 9ugo ChKvez' U'S' attempts to tighten its imperial grip onthe .iddle ast and its oil have had to cope %ith a #ierce, seemingly unstoppable, !ra7i resistance,generating conditions o# imperial overstretch' Dith the United States brandishing its nuclear arsenal andre#using to support international agreements on the control o# such %eapons, nuclear proli#eration iscontinuing' >e% nations, such as >orth 2orea, are entering or can be e)pected soon to enter the Bnuclearclub'E 1errorist blo%bac& #rom imperialist %ars in the third %orld is no% a %ell(recognized reality,generating rising #ear o# #urther terrorist attac&s in >e% or&, Hondon, and else%here' Such vast andoverlapping historical contradictions, rooted in the combined and uneven development o# the globalcapitalist economy along %ith the U'S' drive #or planetary domination, #oreshado% %hat is potentially themost dangerous period in the history o# imperialism'

>3? 0TE?N TI E IS T> >TE NEG TI E T> ?E&3SE T> P ?TICIP TEIN CTI ITIES T T S3PP>?T C PIT 0%

E?E IS S>0 ENC E IDENCE &>? T E 0TE?N TI E9 RGJ 004 ames 9erod, -etting 6ree, http=//site'%%%'umb'edu/#aculty/salzman g/Strate/-et6re/0:'htm

!t is time to try to describe, at #irst abstractly and later concretely, a strategy #or destroying capitalism' 1his strategy, at its most basic ,calls #or pulling time, energy, and resources out o# capitalist civilization and putting them into building a ne%civilization' 1he image then is one o# emptying out capitalist structures, hollo%ing them out, by draining %ealth,

po%er, and meaning out o# them until there is nothing le#t but shells' 1his is de#initely an aggressive strategy' !tre7uires great militancy, and constitutes an attac& on the e)isting order' 1he strategy clearly recognizes that capitalism is the enemy and must bedestroyed, but it is not a #rontal attac& aimed at overthro%ing the system, but an inside attac& aimed at gutting it, %hile simultaneously replacingit %ith something better, something %e %ant' 1hus capitalist structures *corporations, governments, ban&s, schools, etc' are not

seized so much as simply abandoned ' Capitalist relations are not fought so much as they are simplyrejected ' De stop participating in activities that support *#inance, condone the capitalist %orld and start

participating in activities that build a ne% %orld %hile simultaneously undermining the old' De create a ne% pattern o# social relations alongsidecapitalist relations and then %e continually build and strengthen our ne% pattern %hile doing every thing %e can to %ea&en capitalist relations '!n this %ay our ne% democratic, non(hierarchical, non(commodi#ied relations can eventually over%helm thecapitalist relations and #orce them out o# e)istence' 1his is ho% it has to be done' 1his is a plausible ,realistic strategy' 1o thin& that %e could create a %hole ne% %orld o# decent social arrangements overnight, in the midst o# a crisis, duringa so(called revolution, or during the collapse o# capitalism, is #oolhardy ' Gur ne% social %orld must gro% %ithin the old, and inopposition to it, until it is strong enough to dismantle and abolish capitalist relations' Such a revolution %ill neverhappen automatically, blindly, determinably, because o# the ine)orable, materialist la%s o# history ' !t %ill happen, and only happen,

because %e %ant it to, and because %e &no% %hat %ePre doing and &no% ho% %e %ant to live, and &no% %hat obstacles have to beovercome be#ore %e can live that %ay, and &no% ho% to distinguish bet%een our social patterns and theirs' ut %e must not thin& that thecapitalist %orld can simply be ignored, in a live and let live attitude, %hile %e try to build ne% lives else%here' *1here is no else%here' 1here isat least one thing, %age(slavery, that %e canPt simply stop participating in *but even here there are %ays %e can chip a%ay at it ' Capitalismmust be explicitly refused and replaced by something else' 1his constitutes War , but it is not a %ar in the traditional sense o#


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GDI 2K12 /46Pre Institute Evidence Set Capitalism K

armies and tan&s, but a %ar #ought on a daily basis, on the level o# everyday li#e, by millions o# people' !t is a %arnevertheless because the accumulators o# capital %ill use coercion, brutality, and murder, as they have al%ays done in the past, to try to bloc& anyre+ection o# the system' 1hey have al%ays had to #orce compliance5 they %ill not hesitate to continue doing so' >evertheless, there are manyconcrete %ays that individuals, groups, and neighborhoods can gut capitalism, %hich ! %ill enumerate shortly' De must al%ays &eep in mindho% %e became slaves5 then %e can see more clearly ho% %e can cease being slaves' De %ere #orced into %age(slavery because the ruling classslo%ly, systematically, and brutally destroyed our ability to live autonomously' y driving us o## the land, changing the property la%s, destroyingcommunity rights, destroying our tools, imposing ta)es, destroying our local mar&ets, and so #orth, %e %ere #orced onto the labor mar&et in orderto survive, our only remaining option being to sell, #or a %age, our ability to %or&' !tPs 7uite clear then ho% %e can overthro% slavery' Demust reverse this process' De must begin to reac7uire the ability to live %ithout %or&ing #or a %age or buying the products made by %age(slaves*that is, %e must get #ree #rom the labor mar&et and the %ay o# living based on it , and embed ourselves instead in cooperative labor andcooperatively produced goods' Another clari#ication is needed ' 1his strategy does not call #or reforming capitalism, #orchanging capitalism into something else' !t calls #or replacing capitalism, totally, %ith a ne% civilization' 1his is animportant distinction, because capitalism has proved impervious to re#orms, as a system' De can sometimes insome places %in certain concessions #rom it *usually only temporary ones and %in some *usually short(lived improvements in our lives as its victims, but %e cannot re#orm it piecemeal, as a system' 1hus our strategy o# gutting and eventually destroying capitalism re7uires at a minimum a totalizing image, ana%areness that %e are attac&ing an entire %ay o# li#e and replacing it %ith another, and not merelyre#orming one %ay o# li#e into something else' .any people may not be accustomed to thin&ing about entire systems and socialorders, but everyone &no%s %hat a li#estyle is, or a %ay o# li#e, and that is the %ay %e should approach it' 1he thing is this= in order #orcapitalism to be destroyed millions and millions o# people must be dissatis#ied %ith their %ay o# li#e' 1hey must want something else and seecertain e)isting things as obstacles to getting %hat they %ant' !t is not use#ul to thin& o# this as a ne% ideology' !t is not merely a belie#(systemthat is needed, li&e a religion, or li&e .ar)ism, or Anarchism' Rather it is a ne% prevailing vision, a dominant desire, an overriding need' Dhatmust e)ist is a pressing desire to live a certain %ay, and not to live another %ay ' !# this pressing desire %ere a desire to live #ree,to be autonomous, to live in democratically controlled communities, to participate in the sel#(regulating activities o# amature people , then capitalism could be destroyed' Gther%ise %e are doomed to perpetual slavery and

possibly even to e)tinction'


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GDI 2K12 @/46Pre Institute Evidence Set Capitalism K

**0in.**


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GDI 2K12 1( /46Pre Institute Evidence Set Capitalism K

Cars F Class

Car he$em!n" is terri le #!r 0a !r' dispr!p!rti!natel" a##ectin$ the ,!r.in$ andl!,er class' creatin$ a s!cial and m! ilit" d!minance #!r Capital

ves ngler , reno%ned author and political activist and ianca .ugyenyi , Campaigns and "rogrammingCoordinator at Concordia University$s Centre #or -ender Advocacy, e% or& City$s Automobile Club hadmore millionaires than any other social club in the %orld' >o American Sport, noted the Washington

Post in


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GDI 2K12 11 /46Pre Institute Evidence Set Capitalism K

Cars

The a## is car Ke"nesianism = it is !nl" an attempt t! paper !ver a crisis in themar.et

vesEn$ler'

reno%ned author and political activist, 4/30/(4'

BJriven CrazyEhttp ,,,%/c!mmunicati!ns%!r$ driven cra/" " "ves en$ler

eHve een driven cra/" ' 1hat$s the only possible e)planation #or the Statistics Canada report this %ee&that Canadians spent T ; billion on car purchases in 6ebruary, a monthly record' Hast %ee& the samegovernment body said car(related spending *T 4' billion made up 3:V o# total retail spending in 003,nearly t%ice as much as the T:oise andair pollution #rom cars is also disli&ed' Fery #e% o# us li&e to live beside a #ree%ay' 1he reality is %e

need cars #or %or&, shopping, ta&ing the &ids to soccer etc' nd the ar$ument that cars are e##icient i$n!rin$ ec!l!$ical realities is !nl" rem!tel" reas!na le ,hen r!ads and !ther car in#rastructure are present%C!mpared t! ,hat are cars e##icient7 Consider i# instead o# spending T 4 billion on cars, Canadians too&the e7uivalent o# t%o(thirds o# that time o## %or& and spent the other third on other #orms o#transportation' Douldn$t that be much more e##icient #rom a human point o# vie%I D! the math !n all thetime spent ,!r.in$ t! u" a car' insurance' repairs and $as' then add !n time spent in tra##ic' l!!.in$ #!rpar.in$ etc% Suddenl" ,al.in$' i.in$ and pu lic transp!rt seem a ,h!le l!t m!re e##icient ' S!' ,hatHs thereal reas!n ,h" ,e spend s! much !n cars7 Capitalism% Inherent ,ithin capitalism are ec!n!mic !!ms and

usts% In times !# d!,nturn a re$ular !ccurrence is that invest!rs' ,h! d! n!t see pr!spects #!r a pr!#it'

reduce their investments ' 1his, ho%ever, heightens the economic malaise because it starves the economyo# investments' !t can lead to a vicious cycle %hereby no one invests because the prospects are grim yetthe prospects %ill stay poor until people begin investing' 1his %as best e)empli#ied during the -reatJepression o# the ne reas!n #!r the sphalt Nati!n s O , as one author put it, is the need t! sta ili/ecapitalismHs inherent insta ilit"% 0etHs call it car Ke"nesianism ' In the 1@)(s ,ith eight or nine milli!nunempl!"ed U'S' "resident 1heodore ?!!sevelt set up the !r.s Pr! ects dministrati!n' ,hich created asman" as #ive milli!n ! s ' urt 6olsom e)plains, pe!ple ,ere uildin$ r!ads , putting gravel on roads,sometimes asphalt and cement, all over the country and other pro+ects but mostly roads' r!und thesame time' ,ith si+ milli!n Germans !ut !# ,!r.' itler pr!m!ted uildin$ the aut! ahn #!r the ! s it ,!uld
http://www.zcommunications.org/driven-crazy-by-yves-englerhttp://www.zcommunications.org/driven-crazy-by-yves-engler


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create ' Gn .ay


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N! alue t! 0i#e

N> 03E T> 0I&E 3NDE? C PIT 0IS8Dill!n @@ .ichael Jillon, University o# Hancaster, BAnother usticeE Political heory Fol' ;, >o' , Aprill


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ar

Capitalism usti#ies militar" e+pansi!nism8es/ar!s' @9 *!stvan .eszaros, 9ungarian .ar)ist philosopher and "ro#essor meritus at U' Susse)'B eyond Capital= 1o%ard a 1heory o# 1ransition'E p' :1he crisis %e #ace, then, is not simply a political crisis, but the general structural crisis o# the capitalisticinstitutions o# social control in their entirety' 9ere the main point is that the institutions o# capitalism areinherently violent and aggressive= they are built on the #undamental premise o# $%ar i# the normalmethods o# e)pansion #ail$' * esides, the periodic destruction ( by %hatever means, including the mostviolent ones ( o# over(produced capital, is an inherent necessity o# the $normal$ #unctioning o# this system=the vital condition o# its recovery #rom crisis and depression' 1he blind $natural la%$ o# the mar&etmechanism carries %ith it that the grave social problems necessarily associated %ith capital productionand concentration are never solved, only postponed, and indeed ( since postponement cannot %or&inde#initely ( trans#erred to the military plane' 1hus, the $sense$ o# the hierarchically structured institutionso# capitalism is given in its ultimate re#erence to the violent $#ighting out$ o# the issues, in the internationalarena, #or the socioeconomic units (#ollo%ing the inner logic o# their development (gro% bigger and

bigger, and their problems and contradictions increasingly more intense and grave' -ro%th and e)pansionare immanent necessities o# the capitalist system o# production and %hen the local limits are reached thereis no %ay out e)cept by violently read+usting the prevailing relation o# #orces'

ar is the sa#et" valve !# the capital s"stem = c!ntinued e+pansi!nism ,ill threatenhuman survival

8es/ar!s' @9 *!stvan .eszaros, 9ungarian .ar)ist philosopher and "ro#essor meritus at U' Susse)'B eyond Capital= 1o%ard a 1heory o# 1ransition'E p' 4Dar ( or the #ighting out o# con#licts through the clash o# antagonistic interests ( %as in the past not only anecessary constituent but also a sa#ety valve o# the capital system' 6or it helped to realign the relation o##orces and create the conditions under %hich the e)pansionary dynamics o# the system could be rene%ed#or a determinate, even i# limited , period' 9o%ever, the 7uestion i# limits could not be %il#ully ignored, 1hus, it should not be#orgotten that the devastating %ars o# the 0th century %ere also responsible #or $brea&ung the %ea&est lin& o# the chain$ #irst in Russia, in < ;,and later in China, in the #inal years o# the Second Dorld Dar, by creating conditions under %hich the #orces led by .ao could eventuallytriumph over the 2uomintang and its Destern imperialist supporters in


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endemic to the capital system because it is antagonistically structured, #rom its smallest constitutive cellsto its most comprehensive structures'

The res!urce c!mpetiti!n pr!m!ted " capitalism ma.es internati!nal c!n#lictsinevita le = the !nl" ,a" t! escape this is thr!u$h the alternative

Trainer' @6 *1ed, University o# >e% South Dales, B1o%ards a Sustainable conomyE, on Carpenter G)#ord"ublishing, pages 3 (34

-ro%th and %ar !# all nations continue to strive #or increased living standards and economic gro%th %hileresources become more and more scarce, there can e n! !ther !utc!me than increasin$ stru$$les

et,een nati!ns #!r res!urces and mar.ets ' As already stated, at 3 per cent p'a' gro%th our annualvolume o# production %ould be times as great by 0:0' ven %ith optimistic assumptions about energyand resource$ conservation the total demand #or resources must increase mar&edly' 1he rich nations are #ar #rom sel#(su##icient in resource supply no% and their imports #rom the 1hird Dorld are increasing' 1he1hird Dorld is discontented about the rich countries ta&ing most o# the available resources' y 0:0 their

populations %ill probably outnumber ours by : or to ' et %e all remain obsessed %ith achieving the#astest possible increases in production, consumption and ->"' -iven these conditions it is di##icult toimagine ho% %e could possibly avoid more and more con#lict bet%een rich and poor nations over accessto resources and mar&ets in coming decades' oseph Schumpeter and others have argued that the nature o# capitalism is opposed to imperialism and %ar'$ Capitalism is said to %or& best and prosper most %henthere is #ree trade rather than the restricted mar&ets colonialism establishes, and %hen there is greater#reedom #rom disruption caused by %ar' 1hese claims are 7uite acceptable but leave !ut the imp!rtantpart !# the st!r" ' .any radical economists have pointed out that despite %hat capitalists might li&e,capitalism does inevitably lead to%ards imperialism and %ar in the long run' !mperialism and %ar mightnot result, but only i# action to head them o## is ta&en against the tendencies capitalism generates' 1he

basic #actor here is that capitalism inescapa l" inv!lves e+pansi!n ' Capitalists only invest i# they canma&e more money than they invest' 1hey typically e)pect to ma&e at least 0 per cent pro#it p'a' Some o#this must go into repairing old plant, but there is a constant increase in the amount o# money available #orinvestment' !n #act, capitalism$s greatest long(term problem is to #ind enough pro#itable areas #orinvesting the constantly accumulating volumes o# capital' !t is a system in %hich this problem regularlygives rise to slumps and recessions' 6or long periods this problem might be solved %ithout generatingarmed con#licts, but #rom time to time it does lead to%ards %ar because capitalists loo&ing #or ne%ventures tend to get in each others$ %ay' 1hey #ind themselves competing %ith businesses #rom othercountries #or access to resources and mar&ets, and they are al%ays ready to call upon their governments tohelp them protect against or overcome the competition' 1his is not to say that only economic #actors causeinternational con#lict, but there is an e)tensive literature on the central role o# economic #actors,especially %here a rising po%er threatens to overta&e the dominant one' $lance at m!dern hist!r"sh!,s that there has al,a"s een a stru$$le et,een the i$$est states t! $ra m!st !# the ,ealthand presti$e and p!,er and t! disadvanta$e !thers% The main s!urce !# c!n#lict and ,ar in the,!rld is the ceaseless 5uest #!r $reater ,ealth and p!,er ' Y have no chance o#achieving a peace#ul%orld until nations stop being greedy and %or& out ho% to live %ithout constantly striving to gro% richer'

et the supreme commitment in our economy is to rapid and ceaseless gro%thZ !t is possible that #or a

long time to come the transnational corporations #rom the rich countries can go on securing most o# the%orld$s resources and mar&ets %ithout clashing and dra%ing their governments into armed con#lict' utthe tendency #or this to happen must increase as resources and mar&ets become more scarce' The !nl"satis#act!r" ,a" t! rem!ve this dan$er!us tendenc" is " shi#tin$ t! an ec!n!mic s"stem ,hichpermits us t! live c!m#!rta l" ,ith!ut c!nstantl" strivin$ #!r ec!n!mic $r!,th ' De must understandthat the problem o# %orl d peace is part o# the problem o# global economic +ustice' So long as %e re#use to

bring about a #airer distribution o# the %orld$s %ealth, %hich means de(development on the part o# the richand over(developed countries, %e can only e)pect continued and accelerating con#lict and violence'


17/46

GDI 2K12 1B/46Pre Institute Evidence Set Capitalism K

Terr!rism

Present $l! ali/ati!n is imperialism ,hich !nl" creates terr!rist $r!upsCallinic!s Q "ro#essor o# uropean Studies Q 2(() *Ale), BAn Anti(Capitalist .ani#estoE

1he great di##iculty #or the theorists o# global governance is that the %orld distribution o# political andmilitary po%er both is highly une7ual and closely corresponds to the also grossly une7ual distribution o#economic po%er' !ndeed, neo(liberal ideologues are increasingly %illing openly to ac&no%ledge thenecessity o# a unilateral assertion o# Destern po%er vis(a(vis the rest o# the %orld, in other %ords, o#imperialism' Gne o# the clearest statements o# this vie% has come #rom Robert Cooper, a 6oreign G##iceo##icial close to 1ony lair= All the conditions #or imperialism are there, but both the supply and demand#or imperialism have dried up' And yet the %ea& still need the strong and the strong still need an orderly%orld' A %orld in %hich the e##icient and %ell governed e)port stability and liberty, and %hich is open toinvestment and gro%th Q all o# this seems eminently desirable' Dhat is needed then is a ne% &ind o#imperialism, one acceptable to a %orld o# human rights and cosmopolitan values' De can already discernits outline= an imperialism %hich brings order and organization, but %hich rests today on the voluntary

principle' !mperial rulers and their apologists have al%ays claimed to give their sub+ects $order andorganization$' ?Solitudinem #aciunt, pacem appellant$ Q 1hey create a %ilderness and call it peace= thegreat Roman historian 1acitus put this riposte by the victims o# empire into the mouth o# the #irst(centuryCaledonian leader Calgacus':< An astonishing contemporary philippic against the American empire %asrecently launched by Chalmers ohnson, a leading American scholar o# modern Asia in his boo&

lo%bac&' ohnson Q hitherto a #igure #irmly in the academic and political mainstream Q develops a%ithering criti7ue o# American #oreign policy' 9e dismisses $globalization$ as $an esoteric term #or %hat inthe nineteenth century %as simply called imperialism$, and places the ast Asian crisis #irmly atDashington$s door= $1he economic crisis at the end o# the century had its origins in an American pro+ect toopen up and ma&e over the economies o# its satellites and dependencies in ast Asia' !ts purpose %as todiminish them as competitors and to assert the primacy o# the United States as the global hegemonic

po%er'$$ Jeveloping a comprehensive analysis o# ?blo%bac&$ Q$the unintended conse7uences o# policiesthat %ere &ept secret #rom the American people$, ohnson comes close to predicting September=1errorism by de#inition stri&es at the innocent in order to dra% attention to the sins o# the invulnerable'1he innocent o# the t%enty(#irst century are going to harvest une)pected blo%bac& disasters #rom theimperialist escapades o# recent decades' Although most Americans may be largely ignorant o# %hat %as,and still is, being done in their name, all are li&ely to pay a steep price Q individually and collectively Q#or their nation$s continued e##orts to dominate the global scene'$


18/46


Envir!nment

Capitalism destr!"s the envir!nment = $reenh!use $as' acid rain' #!rests'deserti#icati!n' and l!ss !# i!diversit"

1rainer, e% South Dales, B1o%ards a Sustainable conomyE, on Carpenter G)#ord"ublishing, pages 4 (43

Gur %ay o# li#e is ecologically unsustainable Gur resource(a##luent %ay o# li#e also causes many seriousenvironmental problems' De are destroying vital ecological systems' Consider, #or e)ample, the$reenh!use pr! lem' acid rain' the destructi!n !# #!rests' the spread !# deserts and the l!ss !# plantand animal species ' At the present rate, more than a million species %ill disappear in the ne)t 8 years,

because the e)pansion o# human economic activity is destroying habitats' De #arm in %ays that lose 8tonnes o# topsoil #or each person on earth every year *that is 8 times the amount o# #ood %e eat , %e aredestroying the protective ozone layer in the atmosphere, and %e are polluting the ground %aters and seas'Gne o#the most unsustainable aspects o# our society is the %ay %e continually ta&e large 7uantities o#nutrients #rom the soil, eat them and then thro% them a%ay' De are depleting our soils at a rapid rate' !nChapter it %ill be argued that %e can only have a sustainable agriculture i# %e change to highlylocalised economic systems in %hich most o# our #ood is produced close to %here %e live and all #ood%astes can be recycled' .ost o# these ecological problems are direct conse7uences o# the sheer amount o#

producing and consuming going on' 1here is, #or e)ample, no %ay o# solving the greenhouse problem%ithout drastically reducing the amount o# #uel being burnt, and there#ore the volume o# productionta&ing place' 1he !ntergovernmental "anel on Climate Change has concluded that in order to &eep thecarbon content o#the atmosphere #rom increasing, let alone reduce it *as %e should be doing %e %ill haveto cut carbon input to the atmosphere by :0( 0 per cent' !# by 0:0 %e achieve a :0 per cent reductionand share the energy among billion people then %orld average #ossil #uel use %ould be about one(eighteenth the present Australian average' 9o% can %e do anything li&e this unless %e drastically reduceenergy use and there#ore #ossil #uel useI Gne o# the most disturbing recent observations is the #act that inthe last decade a number o#crucial biological and ecological indices seem to be approaching or to have

passed their pea&s' 1his is true o# %orld cropland area, irrigated area, #ertiliser use, and meat, timber,%ool and grain production' Some &ey yields such as rice and %heat seem to be tapering to%ards upperlimits' Dorld #ish catch has clearly #allen #rom levels that %ill not be attained again' et %e are only

providing %ell #or one billion people, and %e might soon have billion on the planet' >o% add to thisanalysis the implications o# continued economic gro%th' 6ig :'la represents the present volume o# %orldeconomic output, distributed across its 8'4 billion people' 6igure :'lb represents output assuming that allthe people living in the 1hird Dorld in 0:0 have risen to the living standards the rich countries haveno%, and incomes in rich countries rise by 3 per cent p'a' until then' Dorld output %ould be about e% South Dales, B1o%ards a Sustainable conomyE, on Carpenter G)#ord"ublishing, pages 3:(3

Resource limits Gur %ay o# li#e is e)tremely e)pensive in terms o# resources, energy and theenvironment' De are obliged to use up huge 7uantities o# nonrene%able resources' US energyconsumption averages the e7uivalent o# tonnes o# coal per person per year, : times the %orld averageand 30 times the average #or the poorest hal# o# the %orld$s people' Some o# the most persuasive limits togro%th arguments concern the huge amount o# travel and transport that ta&e place in our present society'-oods are shipped around the %orld, people travel to %or& and go long distances #or holidays, and #ood istransported a long %ay to %here it is consumed' 1he average amount o# road transport per person inAustralia is more than


20/46


21/46


T Ec!n dv

C!nstructin$ ne, e+pensive pr! ects ,ith!ut ein$ a le t! pa" #!r maintenance and

sta## c!sts !# the current s"stem has ec!me a meme in transp!rtati!n =Detr!it is the latest e+ampleonah &reemar.' 2(11 O Hocal >eoliberalismPs Role in Je#ining 1ransitPs "urposeE une 4, 0 , 1he 1ransport "olitic onah

6reemar& is an independent researcher %or&ing on urban development as part o# a -ordon -rand 6ello%ship #rom ale University, #rom %hichhe graduated in .ay 00 , he %rites about transportation and land use issues #or 1he 1ransport "olitic and 1he !n#rastructurist'http ,,,%thetransp!rtp!litic%c!m 2(11 (6 14 l!cal ne!li eralisms r!le in de#inin$ transits purp!se

Jetroit has sta&ed its development hopes on the creation o# a light rail line do%n Dood%ard Avenue inthe heart o# the city' 6or the past #e% years, public and private groups there have banded together tosuggest that this pro+ect, more than any other, %ould provide the &ind o# spar& necessary to spur economicgro%th in this city that is losing population so 7uic&ly' 1han&s to government grants and privatedonations, the pro+ect is mostly #inanced and may enter construction this year'

et the cityPs budget situation is so bad that the mayor has suggested that i# the city council moves ahead

%ith cuts it approved this %ee&, he %ill have to shut o## bus service at nights and on Sundays M andeliminate service on the "eople .over, a semi(#unctional one(%ay automated rail loop' 1his is in a city%here a third o# people are impoverished'JetroitPs e)ample is only the most e)treme o# %hat is becoming a meme in the American transportdiscussion, that %e continue to engage in the construction o# e)pensive ne% pro+ects even as %e areincapable o# paying #or the appropriate service on and maintenance o# the system %e already have' Dhyis thisI And ho% can %e #ight the pernicious e##ects o# these policiesI
http://www.thetransportpolitic.com/2011/06/14/local-neoliberalisms-role-in-defining-transits-purpose/http://www.thetransportpolitic.com/2011/06/14/local-neoliberalisms-role-in-defining-transits-purpose/


22/46


** lternatives**


23/46

GDI 2K12 2) /46Pre Institute Evidence Set Capitalism K

lt Ethics

?EG ?D0ESS >& >3? 0TE?N TI ES S>0 ENC ' E E NET IC 0 >;0IG TI>N T> GET > E? C PIT 0IS8 = >3?

3T>PI N T INKING IS KE T> ?ESIST NCE NDT? NSCENDENCE8 ?S @9 * A. S H, CR!1!XU , AC1!G>, A>J H! RA1!G> "' 334(338

1he basic 7uestion concerning the possibility o# socialism, then, is the rationality o# utopian thin&ing' !#scientism and positivism or some o# their o##shoots such as the postmodern pragmatism o# Rorty e)haust the de#inition o# reason, then utopianthin&ing is irrational and the human mind must con#ine itsel# to the straight +ac&et o# empirical #act' !#, on the other hand, my dialectical

phenomenological de#inition o# reason is correct, then the thin&ing o# utopia is not only legitimate but necessary' Re#lectionand #reedom and pra)is are essentially utopian in their #ull, un#olding li#e ' Jenial o# utopia mutilates #reedom and reason':De can appreciate this point more deeply by #ocusing phenomenologically on my e)perience o# mysel# as an incarnate sub+ect in the %orld' 6irsto# all, 7uestioning is essential to the li#e o# reason, and any 7uestioning points beyond the data to a #uture ans%er arrived at in a #uture insight and

+udgment' A scientist hit on the head by an apple as&s 7uestions that point to%ard a #uture ans%er' Any 7uestion negates the given set o# #acts andanticipates a ne% #uture';[

>e)t, on the level o# insight and conceptualization %e arrive at a universal that is not e)hausted by any particular mani#estation or instance'$$1riangle$$ is not e)hausted by this particular triangular thing, +ustice by this particular e)ample o# +ustice, beauty by this particular painting'.oreover, no particular, sensible incarnation matches the per#ection o# the ideal' 1hese instances o# triangle, +ustice, beauty, respectively,are not per#ect5 they have crac&s, blemishes, and impurities'6urther , on a re#lective, ethical level ! constitute through re#lection and choice mysel# as an end in acommunity o# ends' 1his ethical norm has the same ine)haustibility and per#ection as any universal, butin addition is the ethical obligation to realize the ideal' !#, there#ore, ! am essentially and eidetically an e)periencing,understanding, +udging, and choosing sub+ect and the current social situation is irrational and un+ust in not respecting that reality, ! have threechoices' ! can capitulate to the situation and in so doing reduce or renounce my humanity, or ! can live a double li#e in thin&ing utopian thoughtsand pursuing a nonutopian li#e, or ! can pursue the utopia o# a #ull economic, social, and political democracy that is %orthy o# such a rational, #reesub+ect and incarnates in its institutions #ull respect #or such a sub+ect' Gnly the last option is #ully consistent %ith the li#e o# incarnate reason and#reedom'6inally, %e may a##irm a three#old e)teriority to the irrational, e)ploitative capitalist system= e)teriority as

past, present, and #uture' )teriority as past is the laborer initially con#ronting capital as deprived o#means o# production, land, and means o# consumption5 as present e)teriority is labor con#ronting capitalas nothing, poor, more and more deprived o# s&ill, surplus value, and even o# employment5 and as #uturee)teriority is the utopia o# liberation that is suggested by, demanded by, and called #or by the alienated

present' Such utopia as norm and goal calls into 7uestion our alienated bourgeois present')teriority or the other in this boo& has at least #ive moments or stages o# articulation= as phenomenologically described, as ethically

evaluated, as hermeneutically interpreted, as critically +udged, and as anticipated in an utopian manner' Gur a##irmation o# utopia as essentialand implied by $$rationality in the #ull sense +ust completes and #ills out our a##irmation o# e)teriority as lin&ed to rationality' A rationality and#reedom and ethics and hermeneutics and criti7ue and pra)is not open to e)teriority are incomplete, truncated,mutilated' )teriority is the positive ground enabling us to go #ully beyond a merely negative dialectic' onetheless, the moral obligation to get over herhabit remains' Similarly, an obligation e)ists to get over our capitalism as a social e7uivalent o#drun&enness' !# the argument o# this chapter is correct, %e cannot renounce such an attempt at transcendence %ithoutgiving up on the ethical pro+ect or curtailing that pro+ect by con#ining it to the sphere o# intimate, interpersonal relations' ! am a good #ather or husband or lover in my private li#e, but ! remain e)ploitative, cruel, and inhumane in my

public, capitalistic li#e ' Such ethical renunciation or curtailment is the death or mutilation o# the human5 denialo# utopia is a living death'


24/46


!deologies o# scienti#ic elitism, there#ore, as they #unction in capitalist society are correct i# there is no such thing as ethical, constitutive reasonoperating in community' !# such constitutive reason is possible and actual in human beings as human in community, then scienti#ic elitism is #alse'.en and %omen acting democratically and participatively do have a capacity to understand themselves and their lives in a %ay that is cogent andin touch %ith reality' !ndeed, many o# the popular movements in urope, ngland, and the United States in the last t%enty years such as#eminism, environmentalism, civil rights, and anti%ar movements, o#ten acting against the advice or opinions o# e)perts, have sho%n themselvesto be right and e##ective' !n the Fietnam Dar, #or e)ample, millions o# people in the United States ta&ing to the streets in protest proved the bestand the brightest in the Dhite 9ouse, "entagon, and State Jepartment %rong' 1he best and the brightest according to the standards o#scienti#ic elitism proved to be deluded' 1he presence o# an ethical, political rationality in all o# us as human invalidates scienti#ic elitism at its

core' As ! am arguing it here, a #undamental lin& e)ists among dialectical phenomenology, ethical, constitutive rationality, and democracy'"hilosophy and ethics, properly understood, are antielitist' 0

1o thin& in a utopian manner, then, about community and socialism is to #ree ourselves #rom the e)cessivehold that science and technology e)ert over our minds and imaginations' De begin to see that science and technologyand e)pertise, even though they are legitimate %ithin their o%n proper domains, do not e)haust or monopolize the de#inition o# reason and other#orms o# reason and &no%ledge that are more in#ormative, pro#ound, and #undamental' !ndeed, compared to certain e)pressions o# art or ethics or

philosophy or religion, science and technology are relatively super#icial' Dhat revelatory po%er does a scienti#ic e7uation have compared to9amlet$s 1o be or not to be speechI Dhat does an empirical study o# human populations sho% me about human li#e compared to the insight o#.ar)$s CapitalI Dhat can a #actual study o# %ar sho% about its horrors compared to "icasso$s -uernica I1o the e)tent, there#ore, that science and technology dominate in the t%entieth century as not only the highest #orms o# reason but the only #ormso# reason, they shove other, more pro#ound, more re#lective, more #undamental #orms o# reason to the side and t%entieth(century industrialsociety emerges as an inverted, topsy(turvy, absurd %orld' Dhat seems normal, #actual, rational, and sane in such a %orld is in #act abnormal,apparent, irrational, and absurd ' De begin to suspect and see that science and technology appear as the highest andonly #orms o# reason because capitalism has appropriated science and technology #or its o%n ends as

productive #orce and ideology' !n science and technology capitalism has #ound the #orms o# rationalitymost appropriate #or itsel#, per#ectly mani#esting it, mirroring it, and +usti#ying it' !n such an absurd,inverted, topsy(turvy %orld, #idelity to the li#e o# reason demands criti7ue, resistance, and revolutionarytranscendence' Gne has to pierce the veil o# such a %orld, see through it as absurd rather than accepting itas normal and sane' 1he prevailing rationality is pro#oundly irrational'


25/46


lt = ?!le !# the ;all!t

T E 0TE?N TI E DEPENDS >N >3% T E ?E&3S 0 T> C>NTIN3E T E&&I?8 TI ES C 00 &>? INSTIT3TI>NS C N C?E TE

8ET P SIC 0 83T TI>N ;?INGING E&&IC C T> >3? C 00&>? NE P>0ITICS &?EE >& T E 0>GIC >& C PIT 08!n i!t' (4 *-eorge .onbiot, "ro#essor o# "hilosophy at ristol and "ro#essor o# "olitics at 2eele'Author, columnist, and political activist' B.ani#esto #or a >e% Dorld Grder'E p' :0

All political systems are ephemeral, and %e can e)pect any ne% means o# governance %e design tocollapse eventually and be succeeded by others, perhaps even to age as rapidly as the deceased systems o# the past century or so' ut there is also a possibility that, rather than merely replacing one set o#institutions %ith another, %e might call #orth something else, something much bigger, more menacing andmore persistent= the metaphysical mutation %hich trans#orms the %ay in %hich human beings perceivethemselves, and %hich nothing but another metaphysical mutation can halt' 1his trans#ormation %ill not

bring oppression to an end, or alter any o# the basic human instincts %hich ma&e us the #la%ed and

dangerous creatures %e are, but, i# it occurs, it %ill establish a #rame%or& o# perception %hich permits usto cooperate in resolving our common problems' >one o# these upheavals %ill happen spontaneously' 1hee)isting institutions cannot re#orm themselves' 1heir po%er relies upon the in+ustice o# the arrangements%hich gave rise to them, and to tac&le that in+ustice %ould be to accept their o%n dissolution'-overnments %ill not act on our behal# until %e #orce them to do so' 1he political classes #rom %hichmost governing parties are dra%n have no interest in this revolution' 1his shi#t, in other %ords, dependsnot on an amorphous them, but on a speci#ic you' !t depends on your preparedness to abandon yourattachment to the old %orld and start thin&ing li&e a citizen o# the ne%5 to e)change your security #orliberty, your com#ort #or elation' !t depends on your %illingness to act'


26/46


lt = Ne$ati!n

83ST NEG TE C PIT 0IST IDE>0>G = T IS >PENS 3P SP CE &>?I8 GINING 0TE?N TI ES

Jr Adrian !hnst!n 2((4 !nterdisciplinary research #ello% in psychoanalysis at mory University B1he Cynic$s

6etish= Slavo+ Wize& and the Jynamics o# elie#E Psychoanalysis! "ulture # $ociety ' Fol'


27/46

GDI 2K12 2B/46Pre Institute Evidence Set Capitalism K

lt = T N! lt

Claimin$ there is On! alternativeQ t! capitalism rei#ies the capitalist !rder and usti#ies ne! c!l!nial d!minati!n

8es/ar!s' @9 *!stvan .eszaros, 9ungarian .ar)ist philosopher and "ro#essor meritus at U' Susse)'B eyond Capital= 1o%ard a 1heory o# 1ransition'E p' )vAs things stand today, the ideologists o# the established order do not believe any longer even in the earlier

popularized notion o# changing their order $little by little$' Dith the end o# the ascending phase o#capitalism no real change can be considered legitimate5 neither by ma+or structural intervention norindeed $little by little$' !# it is true, as they say, that $there is no alternative$ to the structural determinationso# the capital system in the $real %orld$, in that case the very idea o# casual interventions ( no matter ho%little or large ( must be condemned as an absurdity' 1he only change admissible %ithin such a vision o#the %orld belongs to the type %hich concerns itsel# %ith some limited to strictly negative e##ects butleaves their causal #oundation ( the given system o# metabolic control ( completely una##ected' et, i#there is an approach that truly deserves to be called a total absurdity in the realm o# social re#orm, it is notthe advocacy o# ma+or structural change but precisely the &ind o# apologetic %ish#ul thin&ing %hichdivorces the e##ects #rom their causes' 1his is %hy the %ar on poverty, announced %ith re#orming zeal somany times, especially in the t%entieth century, is al%avs lost given the causal #rame%or& Q the povery(

producing structural imperatives ( o# the capital system' 1he attempt at divorcing e##ects #rom their causesgoes hand in hand %ith the e7ually #allacious practice o# claiming the status o# a rule #or the e)ception'1his is ho% it can be pretended that the misery and chronic underdevelopment that necessarily arise #romthe neo(colonial domination and e)ploitation o# the over%helming ma+ority o# human&ind by a merehand#ul o# capitalistically developed countries ( hardly more than the -; ( do not matter at all' 6or, as thesel#(serving legend goes, than&s to the *never realized $modernization$ o# the rest o# the %orld, the

population o# every country %ill one #ine day en+oy the great bene#its o# the $#ree enterprise system$'


28/46


** ns,ers t! ns,ers**


29/46

GDI 2K12 2@/46Pre Institute Evidence Set Capitalism K

T Transiti!n ars

The crac.d!,n ,!n:t happen' capital can:t a##!rd t! attac. its la !r = the

alternative is t!! di##use #!r the vi!lence t! ,!r. = and it ,!uld !nl"increase the success !# the transiti!n a,a" #r!m the status 5u!%8es/ar!s @9 *!stvan, "ro# @ U o# Susse)' eyond Capital' " ; 8(; ;

n!ther ar$ument %hich is o#ten used in #av!ur !# permanent acc!mm!dati!n is thethreat !# e+treme auth!ritarian measures that must e #aced " a s!cialistrev!luti!nar" m!vement ' 1his argument is bac&ed up by emphasizing both the immense destructive po%er atcapital$s disposal and the undeniable historical #act that no ruling order ever cedes %illingly its position o# command over society, using i# need be even the most violent #orm o# repression to retain its rule' 1he %ea&ness o# this argument ist%o#old, despite the #actual circumstances %hich %ould seem to support it'

6irst, it disre$ards that the anta$!nistic c!n#r!ntati!n et,een capital and la !ur is n!ta p!litical militar" !ne in ,hich !ne !# the anta$!nists c!uld e slau$htered !n the

attle#ield !r riveted t! chains% Inasmuch as there can e chains in this c!n#r!ntati!n'la !ur is ,earin$ them alread" , in that the only type o# chains compatible %ith the s"stem must eH#le+i leH en!u$h t! ena le the class !# la !ur t! pr!duce and e e+pl!ited ' >or can oneimagine that the authoritarian might o# capital is li&ely to be used only against a revolutionary socialist movement' 1herepressive anti(labour measures o# the last t%o decades M not to mention many instances o# past historical emergencycharacterized by the use o# violence under the capital system Mgive a #oretaste o# %orse things to come in the event o#e)treme con#rontations' ut this is not a matter o# either/or, %ith some sort o# apriori guarantee o# a $#air$ and benevolenttreatment in the event o# labour$s %illing accommodation and submission' 1he matter hinges on the gravity o# the crisisand on the circumstances under %hich the antagonistic con#rontations un#old' Uncom#ortable as this truth may sound tosocialists, !ne !# the heaviest chains ,hich la !ur has t! ,ear t!da" is that it is tied t!capital #!r its c!ntinued survival' #!r as l!n$ as it d!es n!t succeed in ma.in$ astrate$ic rea. in the directi!n !# a transiti!n t! a radicall" di##erent s!cial meta !lic!rder ' ;ut that is even m!re true !# capital' ,ith the 5ualitative di##erence that

capital cann!t ma.e an" rea. t!,ards the esta lishment !# a di##erent s!cial !rder%&!r capital' trul"' Hthere is n! alternativeH R and there can never e R t! itse+pl!itative structural dependenc" !n la !ur ' !# nothing else, this #act sets ,ell mar.edlimits t! capitalHs a ilit" t! permanentl" su due la !ur " vi!lence' c!mpellin$ it t!use , instead, the earlier menti!ned H#le+i le chainsH a$ainst the class !# la !ur ' It can usevi!lence ,ith success selectivel"' a$ainst limited $r!ups !# la !ur' ut n!t a$ainst thes!cialist m!vement !r$ani/ed as a rev!luti!nar" mass m!vement ' 1his is %hy thedevelopment o# $communist mass consciousness$ *to use .ar)$s e)pression , in contrast to the vulnerability o# narro%sectarian orientation, is so important' 1he second point that must be made in this conte)t is e7ually important' !t concernsthe innermost determinations o# the capital system as a necessarily e)pansion(oriented and accumulation(driven socialmetabolic order' 1he point is that the e+ercise !# p!,er thr!u$h the repressive machiner" !#vi!lence is e+tremel" ,aste#ul in the s"stemHs !,n terms !# re#erence 5 even i# undoubtedly itcan serve the purpose o# redressing the po%er relations in capital$s #avour in a situation o# emergency' Dhat must %eighheavily in the balance is that it is imp!ssi le t! secure the re5uired e+pansi!n and capitalaccumulati!n !n a permanent asis thr!u$h the perpetuati!n !# ec!n!micall",aste#ul emer$enc" , apart #rom its anything but negligible political dangers' The idea !#H ;i$ ;r!therHsuccess#ull" rulin$ !ver la !ur as a permanent c!nditi!n is t!! #antastic even #!r a,!r. !# >r,ellian #icti!n' let al!ne #!r the actualit" !# capitalHs m!de !# s!cialmeta !lic repr!ducti!n ' 6or the latter must perish i# it is unable to secure its o%n reproduction through theappropriation o# the #ruits o# ever more productive labour and the concomitant e)panded realization o# value, %hich in itsturn is inconceivable %ithout a dynamic process o# $productive consumption$' And neither ever(improving labour


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productivity, %ith the necessarily increasing socialization o# the labour process as its precondition, nor the re7uired Mever(e)panding M scale o# $productive consumption$ is compatible %ith the idea o# a permanent state o# emergency'.oreover, as Choms&y rightly argued many years ago, the surveillance system that must go %ith a success#ulen#orcement o# permanent authoritatian rule involves the absurdity *and, o# course, the corresponding cost o# in#initeregress in monitoring not only the population at large but also the monitoring personnel itsel#, as %ell as the monitors o#the monitors, n thec!ntrar"' i# an"thin$' it can !nl" accelerate their e+hausti!n i# vi!lence is used !n amass scale' there " radicall" underminin$ the ! ective c!nditi!ns !# capitalHs rule%


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GDI 2K12 )1 /46Pre Institute Evidence Set Capitalism K

T PE?8

T E ?E >03TI>N 83ST T KE P0 CE IN T E &>?8 >&INS3;>?DIN TI>N ND ?E&3S 0 T> 0I E CC>?DING T> T E

DICT TES >& C PIT 0% DE8 NDS >N T E ST TE T KE T EC>88 ND ST?3CT3?E >& C PIT 0 S >3? P?INCIP0E?E&E?ENCE P>INT% T IS &>?8 >& >?G NI>PTI>N =

G9> >00> 2((9 *!>1 R>A1!G>AH SGC!AH!S. http ,,,%/ma$%!r$ c!ntent sh!,article%c#m7ItemID 92(

! donPt &no% the ans%er' "erhaps %e can change the %orld %ithout ta&ing po%er' "erhaps %e cannot' 1hestarting pointM#or all o# us, ! thin&Mis uncertainty, not &no%ing, a common search #or a %ay #or%ard'

ecause it becomes more and more clear that capitalism is a catastrophe #or humanity' A radical changein the organisation o# society, that is, revolution, is more urgent than ever' And this revolution can only be%orld revolution i# it is to be e##ective'

ut it is unli&ely that %orld revolution can be achieved in one single blo%' 1his means that the only %ayin %hich %e can conceive o# revolution is as interstitial revolution, as a revolution that ta&es place in theinterstices o# capitalism, a revolution that occupies spaces in the %orld %hile capitalism still e)ists' 1he7uestion is ho% %e conceive o# these interstices, %hether %e thin& o# them as states or in other %ays'!n thin&ing about this, %e have to start #rom %here %e are, #rom the many rebellions and insubordinationsthat have brought us to "orto Alegre' 1he %orld is #ull o# such rebellions, o# people saying >G tocapitalism= >G, %e shall not live our lives according to the dictates o# capitalism, %e shall do %hat %econsider necessary or desirable and not %hat capital tells us to do' Sometimes %e +ust see capitalism as anall(encompassing system o# domination and #orget that such rebellions e)ist every%here' At times theyare so small that even those involved do not perceive them as re#usals, but o#ten they are collective

pro+ects searching #or an alternative %ay #or%ard and sometimes they are as big as the Hacandon ungleor the Argentinazo o# three years ago or the revolt in olivia +ust over a year ago' All o# these

insubordinations are characterised by a drive to%ards sel#(determination, an impulse that says, >o, you%ill not tell us %hat to do, %e shall decide #or ourselves %hat %e must do'P1hese re#usals can be seen as #issures, as crac&s in the system o# capitalist domination' Capitalism is not*in the #irst place an economic system, but a system o# command' Capitalists, through money, commandus, telling us %hat to do' 1o re#use to obey is to brea& the command o# capital' 1he 7uestion #or us, then,is ho% do %e multiply and e)pand these re#usals, these crac&s in the te)ture o# dominationI1here are t%o %ays o# thin&ing about this'1he #irst says that these movements, these many insubordinations, lac& maturity and e##ectiveness unlessthey are #ocused, unless they are channelled to%ards a goal' 6or them to be e##ective, they must bechannelled to%ards the con7uest o# state po%erMeither through elections or through the overthro%ing o#the e)isting state and the establishment o# a ne%, revolutionary state' 1he organisational #orm #orchannelling all these insubordinations to%ards that aim is the party'

1he 7uestion o# ta&ing state po%er is not so much a 7uestion o# #uture intentions as o# presentorganisation' 9o% should %e organise ourselves in the presentI Should %e +oin a party, an organisational#orm that #ocuses our discontent on the %inning o# state po%erI Gr should %e organise in some other%ayI1he second %ay o# thin&ing about the e)pansion and multiplication o# insubordinations is to say, >o,they should not be all harnessed together in the #orm o# a party, they should #lourish #reely, go %hatever%ay the struggle ta&es them'P 1his does not mean that there should be no coordination, but it should be amuch looser coordination' Above all, the principal point o# re#erence is not the state but the society that%e %ant to create'
http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?ItemID=8520http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?ItemID=8520http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?ItemID=8520http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?ItemID=8520http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?ItemID=8520


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1he principal argument against the #irst conception is that it leads us in the %rong direction' 1he state isnot a thing, it is not a neutral ob+ect= it is a #orm o# social relations, a #orm o# organisation, a %ay o# doingthings %hich has been developed over several centuries #or the purpose o# maintaining or developing therule o# capital' !# %e #ocus our struggles on the state, or i# %e ta&e the state as our principal point o#re#erence, %e have to understand that the state pulls us in a certain direction' Above all, it see&s to imposeupon us a separation o# our struggles #rom society, to convert our struggle into a struggle on behal# o#, inthe name o#' !t separates leaders #rom the masses, the representatives #rom the represented5 it dra%s usinto a di##erent %ay o# tal&ing, a di##erent %ay o# thin&ing' !t pulls us into a process o# reconciliation %ithreality, and that reality is the reality o# capitalism, a #orm o# social organisation that is based one)ploitation and in+ustice, on &illing and destruction' !t also dra%s us into a spatial de#inition o# ho% %edo things, a spatial de#inition %hich ma&es a clear distinction bet%een the statePs territory and the %orldoutside, and a clear distinction bet%een citizens and #oreigners' !t dra%s us into a spatial de#inition o#struggle that has no hope o# matching the global movement o# capital'1here is one &ey concept in the history o# the state(centred le#t, and that concept is betrayal' 1ime andtime again the leaders have betrayed the movement, and not necessarily because they are bad people, but

+ust because the state as a #orm o# organisation separates the leaders #rom the movement and dra%s theminto a process o# reconciliation %ith capital' etrayal is already given in the state as an organisational#orm'Can %e resist thisI es, o# course %e can, and it is something that happens all the time' De can re#use tolet the state identi#y leaders or permanent representatives o# the movement, %e can re#use to let delegatesnegotiate in secret %ith the representatives o# the state' ut this means understanding that our #orms o#organisation are very di##erent #rom those o# the state, that there is no symmetry bet%een them' 1he stateis an organisation on behal# o#, %hat %e %ant is the organisation o# sel#(determination, a #orm o#organisation that allo%s us to articulate %hat %e %ant, %hat %e decide, %hat %e consider necessary ordesirable' Dhat %e %ant, in other %ords, is a #orm o# organisation that does not have the state as its

principal point o# re#erence'1he argument against ta&ing the state as the principal point o# re#erence is clear, but %hat o# the otherconceptI 1he state(oriented argument can be seen as a pivoted conception o# the development o# struggle'Struggle is conceived as having a central pivot, the ta&ing o# state po%er' 6irst %e concentrate all oure##orts on %inning the state, %e organise #or that, then, once %e have achieved that, %e can thin& o# other

#orms o# organisation, %e can thin& o# revolutionising society' 6irst %e move in one direction, in order to be able to move in another= the problem is that the dynamic ac7uired during the #irst phase is di##icult orimpossible to dismantle in the second phase'1he other concept #ocuses directly on the sort o# society %e %ant to create, %ithout passing through thestate' 1here is no pivot= organisation is directly pre#igurative, directly lin&ed to the social relations %e%ant to create' Dhere the #irst concept sees the radical trans#ormation o# society as ta&ing place a#ter theseizure o# po%er, the second insists that it must begin no%' Revolution not %hen the time is right butrevolution here and no%'

PE?83T TI>N C>NCE 0S &>?CED N T3?E >& C PIT 0 = D 8NS T E0T


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the #reedom o# choice does not ma&e any di##erence= those given the #reedom to choose %ill not only tendto choose the same as those denied it5 they %ill tend to rationalize their #ree decision to continue to

participate in the e)periment ( unable to endure the so(called cognitive dissonance *their a%areness thatthey 6R H acted against their interests, propensities, tastes or norms , they %ill tend to change theiropinion about the act they %ere as&ed to accomplish' Het us say that an individual is #irst as&ed to

participate in an e)periment that concerns changing eating habits in order to #ight against #amine5 then,a#ter agreeing to do it, at the #irst encounter in the laboratory, he %ill be as&ed to s%allo% a living %orm,%ith the e)plicit reminder that, i# he #inds this act repulsive, he can, o# course, say no, since he has thecomplete #reedom to choose' !n most cases, he %ill do it, and then rationalize it by %ay o# saying tohimsel# something li&e= Dhat ! am as&ed to do !S disgusting, but ! am not a co%ard, ! should displaysome courage and sel#(control, other%ise scientists %ill perceive me as a %ea& person %ho pulls out at the#irst minor obstacleZ 6urthermore, a %orm does have a lot o# proteins and it could e##ectively be used to#eed the poor Q%ho am ! to hinder such an important e)periment because o# my petty sensitivityI And,#inally, maybe my disgust o# %orms is +ust a pre+udice, maybe a %orm is not so bad Q and %ould tasting itnot be a ne% and daring e)perienceI Dhat i# it %ill enable me to discover an une)pected, slightly

perverse, dimension o# mysel# that ! %as hitherto una%are o#I eauvois enumerates three modes o# %hat brings people to accomplish such an act %hich runs against their perceived propensities and/or interests=authoritarian *the pure command ou should do it because ! say so, %ithout 7uestioning itZ , sustained

by the re%ard i# the sub+ect does it and the punishment i# he does not do it , totalitarian *the re#erence tosome higher Cause or common -ood %hich is larger than the sub+ect$s perceived interest= ou should doit because, even i# it is unpleasant, it serves our >ation, "arty, 9umanityZ , and liberal *the re#erence tothe sub+ect$s inner nature itsel#= Dhat is as&ed o# you may appear repulsive, but loo& deep into yoursel#and you %ill discover that it$s in your true nature to do it, you %ill #ind it attractive, you %ill becomea%are o# ne%, une)pected, dimensions o# your personalityZ ' At this point, eauvois should be corrected=a direct authoritarianism is practically none)istent Q even the most oppressive regime publicly legitimizesits reign %ith the re#erence to some 9igher -ood, and the #act that, ultimately, you have to obey because! say so reverberates only as its obscene supplement discernible bet%een the lines' !t is rather thespeci#icity o# the standard authoritarianism to re#er to some higher -ood * %hatever your inclinations are,you have to #ollo% my order #or the sa&e o# the higher -oodZ , %hile totalitarianism, li&e liberalism,interpellates the sub+ect on behal# o# 9!S GD> good * %hat may appear to you as an e)ternal pressure, is

really the e)pression o# your ob+ective interests, o# %hat you R AHH DA>1 %ithout being a%are o#itZ ' 1he di##erence bet%een the t%o resides else%here= totalitarianism imposes on the sub+ect his or her o%n good, even i# it is against his or her %ill Q recall 2ing Charles$ *in #amous statement= !# any shall beso #oolishly unnatural as to oppose their &ing, their country and their o%n good, %e %ill ma&e themhappy, by -od$s blessing Q even against their %ills' *Charles !to the arl o# sse), : August :44' 9ere%e encounter the later acobin theme o# happiness as a political #actor, as %ell as the Saint( ustian idea o##orcing people to be happy ' ' ' Hiberalism tries to avoid *or, rather, cover up this parado) by %ay o#clinging to the end to the #iction o# the sub+ect$s immediate #ree sel#(perception * ! don$t claim to &no%

better than you %hat you %ant Q +ust loo& deep into yoursel# and decide #reely %hat you %antZ ' 1hereason #or this #ault in eauvois$s line o# argumentation is that he #ails to recognize ho% the abyssaltautological authority * !t is so because ! say soZ o# the .aster does not %or& only because o# thesanctions *punishment/re%ard it implicitly or e)plicitly evo&es' 1hat is to say, %hat, e##ectively, ma&es a

sub+ect #reely choose %hat is imposed on him against his interests and/or propensitiesI 9ere, theempirical in7uiry into pathological *in the 2antian sense o# the term motivations is not su##icient= theenunciation o# an in+unction that imposes on its addressee a symbolic engagement/ commitment evincesan inherent #orce o# its o%n, so that %hat seduces us into obeying it is the very #eature that may appear to

be an obstacle Q the absence o# a %hy' 9ere, Hacan can be o# some help= the Hacanian .aster(Signi#ier designates precisely this hypnotic #orce o# the symbolic in+unction %hich relies only on its o%nact o# enunciation Q it is here that %e encounter symbolic e##iciency at its purest' 1he three %ays o#legitimizing the e)ercise o# authority * authoritarian, totalitarian, liberal are nothing but three %ayso# covering up, o# blinding us to the seductive po%er o# the abyss o# this empty call' !n a %ay, liberalism


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is here even the %orst o# the three, since it >A1URAH!W S the reasons #or obedience into the sub+ect$sinternal psychological structure' So the parado) is that li eral su ects are in a ,a" th!se least #reethe" chan$e the ver" !pini!n percepti!n !# themselves' acceptin$ ,hat ,as I8P>SED !n them as!ri$inatin$ in their nature = the" are even n! l!n$er ?E !# their su !rdinati!n% Het us ta&ethe situation in the astern uropean countries around G1 6GRC J and chooses theimpossible' 1his is %hat Henin$s obsessive tirades against #ormal #reedom are about, therein residestheir rational &ernel %hich is %orth saving today= %hen he emphasizes that there is no puredemocracy, that %e should al%ays as& %ho does a #reedom under consideration serve, %hich is its role inthe class struggle, his point is precisely to maintain the possibility o# the 1RU radical choice' 1his is

%hat the distinction bet%een B#ormalE and BactualE #reedom ultimately amounts to= B#ormalE #reedom isthe #reedom o# choice D!19!> the coordinates o# the e)isting po%er relations, %hile BactualE #reedomdesignates the site o# an intervention %hich undermines these very coordinates' !n short, HeninPs point isnot to limit #reedom o# choice, but to maintain the #undamental Choice Q %hen Henin as&s about the roleo# #reedom %ithin class struggle, %hat he is as&ing is precisely= BJoes this #reedom contribute to orconstrain the #undamental revolutionary ChoiceIE


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** ## ns,ers**


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Cars G!!d = T ?acism

Cars saved thousands in the Katrina aftermath, and allows forequality. The alternative is net worse for race & racism .

all Street !urnal' 11 11 2((9 B1he Dar Against the CarE Stephen .oore, DS editorial board

A #e% years ago, ! made a presentation to my second(grader$s social studies class, as&ing the &ids %hat%as the %orst invention in history' ! %as shoc&ed %hen a number o# them ans%ered the car' Dhen !as&ed %hy, they replied that cars destroy the environment' Jistressed by the -reen indoctrination alreadyvisited upon seven(year(olds, ! %as at least reassured in &no%ing that once these youngsters got theirdrivers$ licenses, their attitudes %ould change' ItHs !ne thin$ #!r sec!nd $raders t! h!ld such childishn!ti!ns' ut 5uite an!ther #!r presuma l" educated adults t! ar$ue that aut!m! iles are ec!n!micall" andenvir!nmentall" unsustaina le a+les !# evil ' ut %ith higher gas prices, as %ell as .althusian(sounding%arnings about catastrophic global %arming and the planet running out o# oil, the tirade has ta&en on ane% plausibility' .aybe Al -ore had it right all along %hen he %arned that the car and the combustible

engine are a mortal threat ' ' ' more deadly than any military enemy' Y Y Y elc!me t! the m!dern da"0uddite m!vement' ,hich !nce ra$ed a$ainst the machine' ut n!, tar$ets the aut!m! ile ' ust last month,environmentalists organized a %orld car(#ree day, celebrated in more than 40 cities in the U'S' and

urope' In the le#tHs visi!n !# ut!pia' cars have een anished replaced " ic"cles and mass transits"stems% There is n! sm!$ !r r!ad c!n$esti!n% nd merica has een li erated #r!m th!se s!ci!pathic' $as$u//lin$' $reenh!use $as emittin$ S3 s and ummers that esus ,!uld never drive ' !t all sounds idyllic,

but in real li#e this #air" tale has a tra$ic endin$ ' As 6red Smith, president o# the Competitive nterprise!nstitute, reminds us, i# the n! car $ara$e had een a realit" in Ne, >rleans in u$ust' ,e ,!uldnHt havesu##ered 1'((( Katrina #atalities' ut 1('((( !r m!re ' The aut!m! ile' especiall" th!se dreaded all terrain#!ur ,heel drive S3 s Lideal #!r drivin$ thr!u$h #l!!d,atersM saved m!re lives durin$ the Katrina disasterthan all the c!m ined relie# e##!rts !# &E8 ' l!cal p!lice and #ire s5uads' churches' the Salvati!n rm" andthe ?ed Cr!ss ' I# ever" p!!r #amil" had had a car and n!t a transit t!.en' #e, ,!uld have had t! e,areh!used in the hellh!le !# the Superd!me ' This m!nth ,e paid h!n!r t! the her!ism !# ?!sa Par.s #!r#i$htin$ racism thr!u$h the us !"c!tt in 8!nt$!mer"% hat helped sustain that hist!ric #reed!m cause ,asthat hundreds !# lac.s !,ned cars and truc.s that the" used t! carp!!l !thers ar!und the cit" ' A strongargument could be made that the aut!m! ile is !ne !# the t,! m!st li eratin$ inventi!ns !# the past centur"'ran.in$ !nl" ehind the micr!chip% The car all!,ed even the c!mm!n ,!r.in$ man t!tal #reed!m !# m! ilit"

the means t! $! an",here' an"time' #!r an" reas!n% In man" ,a"s' the aut!m! ile is the m!st e$alitarianinventi!n in hist!r"' dramaticall" rid$in$ the 5ualit" !# li#e $ap et,een rich and p!!r ' 1he car stands #orindividualism5 mass transit #or collectivism' Phil!s!pher aldemar anas/' ,h! $re, up in c!mmunistP!land' n!ted in his


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GDI 2K12 )@/46Pre Institute Evidence Set Capitalism K

N! lt

The alternative #ails = ist!r" pr!ves

Perr" @9 *.ar&, "ro#essor o# conomics at University o# .ichigan 6lint and Ad+unct Scholar at the.ac&inac Center #or "ublic "olicy, 1he 6reeman, BDhy Socialism 6ailedE, Folume 48, >umber :, une,http=//%%%'#ee'org/publications/the(#reeman/article'aspIaid\40 4Socialism is the Big Lie of the twentieth century' While it promised prosperity, equality, and security, it delivered poverty, misery, and tyranny'Equality was achieved only in the sense that everyone was equal in his or her misery' !n the same %ay that a"onzi scheme or chain letter initially succeeds but eventually collapses, socialism may sho% early signso# success' ut any accomplishments 7uic&ly #ade as the #undamental de#iciencies o# central planningemerge' !t is the initial illusion o# success that gives government intervention its pernicious, seductiveappeal' !n the long run, socialism has al%ays proven to be a #ormula #or tyranny and misery' A pyramid scheme isultimately unsustainable because it is based on faulty principles. Li ewise, collectivism is unsustainable in the long run because it is a flawed theory' Socialism does not wor because itis not consistent with fundamental principles of human behavior. !he failure of socialism in countries around the world can be traced to one critical defect"it isa system that ignores incentives' #n a capitalist economy, incentives are of the utmost importance. $ar et prices, the profit%and%loss system ofaccounting,and private propertyrights provide an efficient, interrelated system of incentives to guide and directeconomic behavior. &apitalism is based on the theory that incentives matterZ 'nder socialism, incentives either play a minimal role or are ignoredtotally. A centrally planned economy without mar et prices or profits, where property is owned by the state, is a system without an effective incentive mechanism to direct economic activity. By failing toemphasi(e incentives, socialism is a theory inconsistent with human nature and is therefore doomed to fail' Socialism isbased on the theory that incentives don)t matter* !n a radio debate several months ago %ith a .ar)ist pro#essor #rom theUniversity o# .innesota, ! pointed out the obvious #ailures o# socialism around the %orld in Cuba,

astern urope, and China' At the time o# our debate, 9aitian re#ugees %ere ris&ing their lives trying toget to 6lorida in homemade boats' Dhy %as it, ! as&ed him, that people %ere #leeing 9aiti and travelingalmost 800 miles by ocean to get to the evil capitalist empire %hen they %ere only 80 miles #rom the

%or&ers$ paradise o# CubaI !he $ar+ist admitted that many socialist countries around the world were failing.-owever, according to him, the reason for failure is not that socialism is deficient, but that the socialist economies arenot practicing pure socialism. !he perfect version of socialism would wor it is /ust the imperfect socialism thatdoesn)t wor .$ar+ists li e to compare a theoretically perfect version of socialism with practical, imperfect capitalism which allows them to claim that socialism is superior to capitalism' #f perfection really were an available option, thechoice of economic and political systems would be irrelevant. #na world with perfect beings and infinite abundance,any economic or political system %%socialism, capitalism, fascism, or communism%% would wor perfectly' 9o%ever,the choice o# economic and political institutions is crucial in an imper#ect universe %ith imper#ect beingsand limited resources' !n a %orld o# scarcity it is essential #or an economic system to be based on a clearincentive structure to promote economic e##iciency' 1he real choice %e #ace is bet%een imper#ectcapitalism and imper#ect socialism' -iven that choice, the evidence o# history over%helmingly #avorscapitalism as the greatest %ealth(producing economic system available'!he strength of capitalism can be attributed to an incentive structure based upon the three 0s" 123 prices determinedby mar et forces, 143 a profit%and%loss system of accounting and 153 private property rights. !he failure of socialismcan be traced to its neglect of these three incentive%enhancing components' 9 Continues] 1he temptress o# socialism isconstantly luring us %ith the o##er= give up a little o# your #reedom and ! %ill give you a little more security' As the e)perience o# this centuryhas demonstrated, the bargain is tempting but never pays o##' De end up losing both our #reedom and our security' "rograms li&e socializedmedicine, %el#are, social security, and minimum %age la%s %ill continue to entice us because on the sur#ace they appear to be e)pedient and

bene#icial' 1hose programs, li&e all socialist programs, %ill #ail in the long run regardless o# initial appearances' 1hese programs are part o# theig Hie o# socialism because they ignore the important role o# incentives' Socialism %ill remain a constant temptation' De must be vigilant in

our #ight against socialism not only around the globe but also here in the United States' 1he #ailure o# socialism inspired a %orld%iderenaissance o# #reedom and liberty' 6or the #irst time in the history o# the %orld, the day is coming very soon %hen a ma+ority o# the people in the%orld %ill live in #ree societies or societies rapidly moving to%ards #reedom' Capitalism %ill play a ma+or role in the global revival o# libertyand prosperity because it nurtures the human spirit, inspires human creativity, and promotes the spirit o# enterprise' y providing a po%er#ulsystem o# incentives that promote thri#t, hard %or&, and e##iciency, capitalism creates %ealth' 1he main di##erence bet%eencapitalism and socialism is this= Capitalism %or&s'


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GDI 2K12 4( /46Pre Institute Evidence Set Capitalism K

uman nature = pe!ple ,!n:t chan$e their attitudes t!,ards capitalism =8al$!r .eeps lecturin$ a !ut it' ut he l!ves his A !+ m!re than he disli.esec!n!mic ine5ualit"

"aul R' Ehrlich , ing "ro#essor o# "opulation Studies, Jepartment o# iology Sciences at Stan#ord, and

Anne 9' hrlich, Senior Research Associate in the Jepartment o# iological Sciences at Stan#ord, < @6,etrayal o# Science and Reason= 9o% Anti( nvironmental Rhetoric 1hreatens Gur 6uture, p' :


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Transiti!n ars

The desire #!r #reed!m and $r!,th is innate = m!vin$ a,a" ris.s t!talitarianism'

vi!lence' p!vert" and ,arli$ica :() *"aul Aligica, 6ello% at the .ercatus Center at -eorge .ason University and Ad+unct 6ello%at the 9udson !nstitute, B1he -reat 1ransition and the Social Himits to -ro%th= 9erman 2ahn on SocialChange and -lobal conomic JevelopmentE, April , http=//%%%'hudson'org/inde)'c#mI#useaction\publication details^id\ ;Stopping things %ould mean i# not to engage in an e)periment to change the human nature, at least in ane7ually di##icult e)periment in altering po%er#ul cultural #orces= De #irmly believe that despite thearguments put #or%ard by people %ho %ould li&e to $stop the earth and get o##,$ it is simply impractical todo so' "ropensity to change may not be inherent in human nature, but it is #irmly embedded in mostcontemporary cultures' "eople have almost every%here become curious, #uture oriented, and dissatis#ied%ith their conditions' 1hey %ant more material goods and covet higher status and greater control o#nature' J

gdi 12 pre institute capitalism k

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