Peter Frase’s book, [1] “Four Futures, Life after Capitalism,” takes the industry’s increasing automation, class struggle hierarchy, and inevitable scarcity that emerge as a future concern. The book attempts to enrich the environment, the approach, and the perspective to discuss it further. He uses the ‘speculative fiction’ method to create an alternative to the current social and economic equilibrium portrayed.
It is argued that one can go beyond the traditional notion of working for wages. Instead, the measure of wealth should be depicted as libertarian self-reliance, autarchic use of leisure time, and personal satisfaction rather than money. The author states that he concluded it by reading Karl Marks and Science Fiction too much. [2]
Soft Science Fiction
When people think about science fiction, they think of aliens, physics-based, utopian science, which is strictly science fiction based solely on science. Still, there is soft science fiction, another model after speculative fiction. He describes his approach as sole social science fiction or a mix of social science fiction and science fiction.
Today, individuals might define the future based on empirical evidence, their standard and perception of life, and expressed hopes and beliefs concerning the future. Thus, we can call it a definition of the future based on imposed limitations and characteristics emanating from human nature.
Four Segments
The book presents the speculative fiction method as an alternative to facilitate the definition of possible problems that may emerge and then formulate a creative tool and discussion environment to determine the consequences and possible solutions. Furthermore, speculative fiction explores how to define the so-called ‘epitome of the recent past’ beyond itself and what it will look like in the future. With this approach, a socioeconomic structure is assembled between two essential axes—horizontal “Resources” and vertical “Policy” (see Figure 1).
One end of the resources axis (horizontal axis) is “scarcity,” and the other end is “abundance.” One end of the Policy axis (vertical) is “utopian equality,” and the other end is “hierarchy/sharp class separation.”
The area (axes) between these two axes is the socio-economic structure in which the assets interacting with the two axes are located (see Figure 1).
Finally, the author divides the area between the axis into four segments with a theoretical approach by saying, “During the post-capitalist era, global economies will evolve into one of these four models: (1) Communism, (2) Socialism, (3) Rentism, or (4) Exterminism.”
How Future Shapes
With these definitions, four speculative types of socio-economic structures are constructed, shaped between (a) the abundance and scarcity edges of the ecological axis and (b) the utopian equality and sharp class separation/hierarchy edges of the class struggle axis.
Where we are heading is characterized by the significance of propensity in “property/asset relations” and proclivity concerning “power relations” within the respective societal equilibrium (see Figure 1.)
Moreover, as capitalism tries to eliminate “unwanted labor” through new technologies like artificial intelligence and robots, “the changing tapestry and conjunction of entities form the unique fabric of life will take a deterministic stance about our future we headed,” he writes. It means where we land is in our hands.
Four Futures
As for the definitions of the four futures,
Figure 1- speculative fiction approach (changing socio-economic structure.) [3] Additions made by the author.
Utopian Society
The fundamental argument in Marxism is “each according to his ability and his needs.” [4] In the Communist future described by the author, there is utopian equality between classes and ecological abundance (sufficient resources); thus, it represents a utopian society. Imagine displacing problems such as sexism and racism from capitalist texture; it will be easier to deal with them; therefore, the ideal structure of a utopian society will form cohesively.
A Socialist Future
While insisting that ‘we have a degree of class struggle,’ calling the classified society egalitarian has been controversial. [5] In such socio-economic structures, if there is a lack of resources, while equality of classes is presumed to exist, a socialist future will prevail.
Rentism Segment
The concept of rentism (or property rights, rent, etc.) defines a property relationship based on commission and rent, in contrast to the Star Trek and Karl Marx type of society that the author says he watches or enjoys reading much. That is, generating income from access to intangible assets such as patents and copyrights. Besides physical property, intellectual property rights are also mentioned in this concept. The capitalist society sees intellectual property as a right. At the same time, the state draws the boundaries of intellectual property, and its weight protects the economic power and interests of the nations. The rentism segment emerges when the abundance of resources supports socio-economic structures in which hierarchy exists.
A dystopian socio-economic structure
The last and, as the name suggests, the most extreme future is ‘Exterminism,’ and it is noted that this concept is borrowed from Edward Thomson [6]. In the destructive future, labor will be entrusted to artificial intelligence and robots and become automated. As a result, the interdependence between capital and labor vanishes, there is a shortage of resources, and a dystopian society emerges. Subsequently, this transforms the norm of superfluous citizens, and massive unemployed masses become a societal threat. It concludes that the solution is to destroy them, marking the emergence of a dystopian socio-economic structure and society.
In Closing
For those interested, Azra Kohen [7] exhibits similar socio-economic structures in her book “Aeden (Akilah Azra Kohen)” with more concrete and real-world examples from another window. Dan Lyons’ [8] Lab Rats discloses the inspiration of those that form this socio-economic structure.
The book provides a unique perspective on our thinking by bringing a new dimension to the discussion of how the collapse of capitalism might affect global society.
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References and notes
[1] He is one of the editors of the Jacobin periodical (the leading voice of the American left, offering socialist perspectives on politics, economics, and culture), and he is a doctoral student at the City University of New York (CUNY) 2020.
[2] and [3] Four Futures: Life After Capitalism video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zyyy65L0y84
[4] From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/From_each_according_to_his_ability,_to_each_according_to_his_needs
[5] https://www.grundrisse.net/grundrisse22/tellingTheTruthAboutClass.htm —The article explores ‘egalitarian society’ and ‘class struggle issues from a different angle and uses a historical perspective.
[6] Notes on Exterminism, the Last Stage of Civilization by Edward Thompson http://bit.do/fjvmm
[7] A Turkish record-breaking author and psychologist https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azra_Kohen
[8] A former technology journalist with Newsweek and a marketing associate at HubSpot. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Lyons
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