This presentation reflects a speech given at Pilgrim House UU church on October 24, 2022.

Recently, I had the privilege of attending a memorial for the esteemed Minnesota poet Robert Bly, a mentor to many, including myself. We gathered to honor his legacy and contributions, which were delayed due to the pandemic.

One poignant poem shared was Bly's translation of a work by Antonio Machado, which resonates deeply with today's discussions on climate change. Here’s the poem:

The Wind, One Brilliant Day

The wind, one brilliant day, called to my soul with an odor of jasmine. “In return for the odor of my jasmine, I’d like all the odor of your roses.” “I have no roses; all the flowers in my garden are dead.” “Well then, I’ll take the withered petals and the yellow leaves and the waters of the fountain.” The wind left. And I wept. And I said to myself: “What have you done with the garden that was entrusted to you?” — Translated by Robert Bly

Thank you for the opportunity to discuss the emerging postcapitalist world. While conversing with friends in Cable, Wisconsin, the pivotal question arose: What is postcapitalism in brief?

In essence, postcapitalism signifies the economic framework set to succeed capitalism. It is neither socialism nor the extreme libertarianism espoused by Ayn Rand. Rather, it represents a fundamentally distinct approach—a radical transformation and entirely new system.

However, this concise definition feels insufficient. It implies there’s something enticing hidden beneath the surface, but fails to unveil it. You’ve invited me to elucidate, and I promise to do just that.

To clarify, the postcapitalist realm is fundamentally different, rooted in principles and ideas that diverge from capitalism, socialism, and communism, all of which share industrialist foundations.

Postcapitalism replaces the core tenets, concepts, and metaphors of global capitalism with those suited for a digital, automated, and interconnected world. The qualitative distinctions are stark:

• Capitalism relies on hierarchy, whereas the postcapitalist paradigm thrives on egalitarian networks.
• Capitalism often resorts to violence and coercion; in contrast, the postcapitalist sphere fosters voluntary collaboration.
• While capitalism is predicated on extraction, postcapitalism emphasizes conversion.
• Instead of the scarcity characteristic of capitalism, the postcapitalist framework offers true abundance, providing infinite resources at no cost.

Can you see the contrast?

Next, my friend posed a pressing inquiry: Will we witness this in our lifetime? The likelihood is slim. This evolution will unfold over decades. Nonetheless, with collective effort and awareness, we can accelerate this transition, as a postcapitalist society holds the key to combating climate change—an endeavor in which we all have a stake.

What might this new world resemble?

• Envision a scenario where no one owns a car; instead, we summon a driverless vehicle that arrives within minutes to transport us.
• Picture a reality where everything we desire is abundantly accessible at no cost.
• Imagine a world devoid of hunger, where food is produced at home as needed—eliminating the need for grocery stores, warehouses, or farms.
• Consider a future where energy is free.
• Visualize a landscape where no one has a boss since jobs are obsolete, and income loses its significance.
• Picture a society where work is undertaken purely for enjoyment, or is conducted by robots and AI.

Feeling uneasy yet?

These glimpses into the forthcoming postcapitalist world are merely a start.

While this may sound overly optimistic, I assure you that over the next half hour, I will demonstrate two key points. Firstly, postcapitalism is not just a fanciful dream, but rather an inevitable reality. Secondly, it is crucial, as it presents the only viable solution to our greatest challenge—climate change.

Understanding Capitalism's Impending Collapse

Capitalism cannot perpetuate its long-standing trajectory of steady growth due to three intrinsic contradictions:

1. It struggles to price free, abundant products and services.
2. It fails to generate demand among surplus workers.
3. It cannot adequately address externalities.

Focusing on Abundance

We are amidst a digital revolution ushering in a digital economy. Although this may seem benign, the first contradiction is that markets are ill-equipped to manage digital products, and they will remain so. To clarify, let’s briefly explore how prices are set in capitalist markets and why these mechanisms falter with digital goods.

Price Determination in Capitalism

Capitalist markets establish prices through the principle of supply and demand, which dictates that prices fluctuate based on the relationship between supply and demand. Higher supply relative to demand results in lower prices, while increased demand over supply drives prices up. This fundamental concept has its limits: prices cannot drop below production costs. Rational enterprises will not sustain operations at a loss, making the cost of reproduction a tangible barrier for price declines.

For instance, if producing a car costs $5,000, no one will manufacture it if the market offers only $4,000, leading to production halts, decreased supply, and subsequent price increases.

What Occurs in Digital Product Markets?

Digital products possess a unique trait: they incur no reproduction costs. Take ebooks, for example. Once stored on a server, they can be downloaded countless times without additional cost to the producer. This reality leads to two market challenges. First, with reproduction costs at zero, prices can only drop until products become free. Second, the supply is limitless. Thus, the scarcity upon which pricing relies transforms into abundance. Consequently, the supply-and-demand principle fails to accurately price products, leading to free products. This phenomenon was so pronounced with ebooks that publishers had to engage in collusion to set minimum prices—this is not capitalism; it's monopolistic behavior.

While this issue is evident in ebooks and music, the entire economy is increasingly becoming digitalized, susceptible to the same abundance dynamics. As more products adopt digital features or transition to complete digitalization, the corresponding markets will collapse, just as they did for ebooks.

The crux of the matter is: When products are free, the rationale for capitalist investment collapses. Capitalists do not invest in free products, nor do they pay workers to produce them. Capitalism hinges on the potential for profit, which evaporates when markets can't establish prices. The economy can absorb a few product categories failing in price, but as digitalization permeates sectors like construction, automotive, clothing, and food production—capitalism will cease to function effectively.

Moreover, the rise of free labor via robots introduces a similar dynamic within the labor market. Instead of discouraging capitalists from producing, this trend demotivates workers. Why toil without compensation? In capitalism, the need for money drives work, but if labor yields no income, the rationale for working dissipates, leading individuals to exit the workforce.

Finally, capitalism is incapable of addressing externalities like climate change, as it cannot assign costs to them. These externalities manifest as pollution, financial risks, social issues, health crises, and wasted resources. Throughout capitalism’s history, these were often seen as unfortunate side effects—someone else’s problem. However, climate change marks a turning point; it demands acknowledgment of these externalities. There’s no escaping this reality—not for the affluent, the impoverished, businesses, workers, or consumers. As external costs become unmanageable, capitalism's profitability diminishes, leading to its failure, given that it was never designed to internalize such expenses.

The Inevitable Collapse of Capitalism

One might expect that, confronted with these three realities—digitalization, automation, and climate change—capitalists would pivot. However, the inherent nature of the capitalist system compels actors to continually reduce production costs to enhance profit margins and remain competitive. Thus, they will digitalize everything, automate labor, and externalize as many costs as possible. As digitalization progresses, businesses must adapt to survive, and they will resist unilateral climate action due to competitive pressures. The relentless push of capitalism towards digitalization, robotic production, and externality confrontation ensures its eventual collapse.

The Four Transformations: Embracing Postcapitalist Opportunities

The path to transformation lies in swiftly adopting postcapitalist principles. We must articulate, celebrate, and advance these ideals. While their emergence is inevitable, humanity’s fate during this transition is not predetermined. The four transformations are as follows:

• The mechanistic hierarchy of capitalism is supplanted by postcapitalist egalitarian networks.
• Capitalist violent coercion gives way to postcapitalist voluntary participation.
• The capitalist model of extraction transitions to postcapitalist conversion.
• Capitalist scarcity yields to postcapitalist abundance.

By supplanting outdated capitalist principles, new postcapitalist ideals promise a radical reorganization of society. While words alone convey little, the implications of these transformations are profound. Due to time constraints, I will focus on the new networked world as an illustration of how these changes will fundamentally alter culture.

Transformation 1: The Emergence of the Networked World

Capitalism has been shaped by the machine's metaphor and the hierarchical office structure. These concepts have influenced our worldview, positioning nature as hierarchical and placing humanity at the apex. Corporations emerged to uphold this hierarchy, irrespective of personnel changes. Society itself has mirrored this hierarchical structure, as explored in Isabel Wilkerson’s book Caste. Hierarchy has permeated every aspect of life.

Alongside hierarchy, the machine metaphor evolved into systems thinking, which allowed us to perceive how inputs could be converted into outputs, informing the industrial systems that underpin capitalism. Even our holistic concepts, like ecology and alternative healing practices, continue to embrace this mechanistic framework, albeit with unconventional inputs.

In essence, mechanistic hierarchy has dictated our worldview, forming the bedrock of capitalist ideology. Modern corporations owe their existence to the hierarchical office model, enabling the exploitation of nature under the notion of a mechanistic, soulless universe. As capital became synonymous with this hierarchical and mechanistic accumulation, it defined our contemporary capitalist society.

However, a new metaphor is emerging: the network.

Networks stand in stark contrast to hierarchy. Instead of dominance, networks emphasize connection. Rather than enduring office structures, networks are composed of genuine relationships between individuals. In a hierarchy, the structure is paramount; in networks, personal connections take precedence. When an individual disconnects from a network, their relationships dissipate alongside them.

As networks become the primary mode of societal organization, our collective worldview will undergo a radical shift. In hierarchical systems, the dominant social currency is power, often expressed through the authority of one’s office. In networks, the key currency is influence, manifested in the ability to shape thoughts, ideas, and perspectives. While hierarchies foster competition for limited power, networks cultivate boundless connections and diverse influences. Individuals will no longer aspire to exert power over others; instead, they will seek meaningful connections.

Contemporary networks exemplify humanity's desire to collaborate for shared value. Consider the realm of open-source software, where global networks unite to create invaluable digital tools that are universally accessible. This is merely the beginning; the potential for collaboration is immense.

Thus, networks foster a radically different mental model—one where power dynamics become unfathomable without a hierarchical framework to support them. In a networked world, the pursuit of racial or ethnic supremacy loses relevance. Influence is cultivated through connection, not through dominance.

I do not claim that the rise of networks will resolve all societal issues. However, if they supplant hierarchy as our predominant lens, we can expect transformative changes in social dynamics, organizational structures, political landscapes, and environmental perspectives.

What This Means

Postcapitalism presents one of the most profound challenges in modern social theory. Its implications span all facets of society—religion, social structures, politics, economics, safety nets, military motives, and business practices. Careers will evolve, cities will transform, and new lifestyles will emerge, making our current existence seem quaint in comparison to the past. A new world is inevitable; the pivotal question remains whether it will trend towards dystopian realities or present opportunities for improvement. To navigate this transition toward a better world, we must recognize and explore the exciting possibilities that lie ahead.

The Dissolution of Systemic Fear

Consider the four foundational principles of capitalism: hierarchy, violence, extraction, and scarcity. How can one perceive the world through any lens other than fear? Those who manage to do so demonstrate remarkable resilience, fortunate circumstances, and commendable efforts to achieve success. Yet, the overarching reality is that fear dominates life in this system—fear of not securing one’s share, fear of losing what one has, and fear of missed opportunities.

Understanding this fear is crucial, as it fuels sexism, racism, homophobia, and xenophobia. It underpins warfare and competition, leading us to forsake our fellow humans, the natural world, and even our own lives in a relentless pursuit of unattainable security. Fear breeds anxiety, sustained by capitalism’s hierarchical worldview, competitive scarcity, and inherent violence.

Where does fear reside in egalitarian networks, voluntary collaborations, conversion, and abundance? How can oppression persist without fear, scarcity, or competition for survival? Postcapitalism will fundamentally alter the core principles of society, ushering in a sense of relief from fear. As fear diminishes, the entire apparatus of systemic oppression can dissolve.

What Will This World Look Like?

Before we conclude, let me provide a few illustrative examples.

First, today, most individuals rely on cars for transportation—whether to acquire goods, work, or socialize. This dependency means car ownership, necessitating parking, servicing, and insurance. In a fully digitalized postcapitalist world, these elements will become obsolete. Instead of owning cars, we will summon driverless vehicles, arriving within moments to take us wherever we wish. With this shift, the need for parking lots, service stations, and insurance will vanish.

Second, manufacturing will increasingly rely on 3D printing fueled by digital blueprints. Currently, entire neighborhoods of 3D-printed homes are being constructed, achieving wall assembly in 90% less time and at a fraction of the cost—without using lumber, as they are composed of poured concrete. While traditional methods still apply to foundations, roofs, and plumbing, these too are on the brink of transformation. Companies like Adidas are already producing hundreds of thousands of shoes annually without traditional shoemakers, relying instead on a small workforce to maintain robots and 3D printers. Robotics are infiltrating fast food, automotive production, wind turbine construction, and nearly every manufacturing sector imaginable due to the zero incremental cost of labor.

Third, people often question the future of food, asserting, "You can’t eat digits!" While true to an extent, innovations like Solar Foods in Finland are cultivating edible protein from carbon, electricity, and water—bypassing traditional plants and animals. Their fermentation process yields Solein, a protein source, in mere days. Solar Foods is on the verge of launching its first factory, aiming to market Solein as early as 2023.

I reference Solein to exemplify the trajectory of food production. We are advancing toward growing meat without livestock, and I anticipate seeing crops like tomatoes and oranges produced without traditional cultivation methods. Meanwhile, indoor farming of greens is already underway, utilizing controlled environments, robotic care, and AI monitoring. Ultimately, these advancements will render farms unnecessary.

Fourth, labor and its associated income will lose significance. As we harness food production and energy generation at home, alongside manufacturing goods from digital designs via 3D printing, the relevance of money will diminish. Instead of working for financial gain, individuals will derive meaning from contributing to valuable endeavors for humanity.

The way we produce goods and satisfy our needs will transform, as societal assumptions dissolve. Hierarchies will yield to networks, coercion will transition to collaboration, and scarcity will give way to abundance.

For instance, social theorists have long argued for systemic change. Well, here it is—the system will transform. As hierarchical relationships shift towards networks, what will be the implications for racism and sexism? Why perpetuate racism when there is no competitive edge to exploit? With home-based production of life’s essentials becoming digitally feasible, what will this mean for poverty, class disparities, and inequality? These developments have the potential to radically reshape societal structures, and we cannot fully anticipate the opportunities that will emerge. We have the capacity to envision solutions and influence our outcomes; failing to do so leaves our fate to chance.

In capitalist democracies, voting every few years is the primary civic engagement of citizens, taken seriously. Individuals deliberate over their choices, often viewing their vote as a compromise. Rarely does anyone align perfectly with another on all issues; the focus tends to be on what compromises are acceptable. Consequently, a significant portion of the populace abstains from voting, feeling unrepresented regardless of their choice.

In postcapitalist politics, one possibility is increased civic engagement due to reduced work hours. Representatives may become obsolete, with individuals voting more frequently on various issues. The advent of electronic and digital voting could enable direct input from citizens on every issue, proposal, or bill. The cumbersome nature of large bills with irrelevant provisions would fade; instead, we can vote on specific matters. If representatives exist, their role would shift towards proposing ideas for public vote rather than making decisions on behalf of constituents. This could render representative democracy obsolete, paving the way for genuine self-governance.

As societal institutions evolve, so too will religious doctrines. The Protestant work ethic loses relevance in a world devoid of traditional employment. Similarly, the Catholic doctrine of good works becomes meaningless in a landscape of true abundance. New interpretations of religious beliefs will shape how this postcapitalist world unfolds.

Among all these impending changes, perhaps the most significant is the resolution of climate change. Postcapitalism may well be the sole solution to this pressing issue. This is straightforward: the emergence of a postcapitalist system offers an involuntary climate solution. Many advocate for various approaches—degrowth, carbon taxes, reduced consumption, veganism, and more. However, these require individuals to make sacrifices against their desires and necessitate leaders to transcend the system for the planet's benefit. Postcapitalism circumvents this by instituting a framework in which everyone must coexist, inherently resolving climate change.

How does this occur? Firstly, it is reshaping the economic foundations of society. Abundant, free energy sources—particularly solar, wind, and geothermal—are on the horizon. Initial investments are currently necessary, but the incremental costs of these energy systems are nearly negligible. A solar system can maintain 80% efficiency for 40 years after being paid off. Capitalists will inevitably shift towards these energy sources due to their economic viability. Electricity and digital technology will dominate the future, rendering fossil fuel consumption obsolete—no combustion means no carbon emissions, and thus, no climate change.

Moreover, as digitalization progresses, many manufactured goods will either be produced at home via 3D printing or become obsolete. Transportation needs will diminish as goods are transported by electric, driverless vehicles. As consumers, we may not even realize these vehicles are electric and autonomous; it will simply become the norm.

Postcapitalist digital networks will further facilitate collaboration on global challenges, particularly climate change. They will also enable political transformations, such as the direct democracy mentioned earlier, freeing political decision-making from centralized party control. For decades, polls indicate a strong desire among Americans for environmental action, yet representative democracy has consistently failed to deliver. However, direct democracy, facilitated through digital networks and blockchain technology, can fulfill this demand.

Postcapitalism is systemic; our lives will be as entrenched in it as they are today in capitalism. Digitalization and automation are as unavoidable as capitalism itself. Postcapitalism resolves climate change without necessitating sacrifices from individuals. There are no forced lifestyle changes, no mandatory dietary restrictions, and no expectations of living less comfortably for the promise of a better future. Instead, we must adapt to the environment in which we find ourselves.

In conclusion, as a human community, our role is to nurture these changes—observe, guide, and support them. Numerous forces will resist the social transformations postcapitalism enables, potentially delaying its promise across social, economic, political, and environmental spheres. I believe humanity's duty is to remain vigilant, recognize these shifts, and advocate for the future we desire, mitigating the void created by capitalism's upheaval. Just as capitalism emerged from mechanistic metaphors, postcapitalism will evolve from digitalist perspectives. We must comprehend both the risks and opportunities to shape favorable outcomes.

Ultimately, as Antonio Machado poignantly asked: What have you done with the garden that was entrusted to you?

— Anthony Signorelli