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hat lies ahead beyond Capitalism? How will this come about? Is there a simple unifying theory which we, mere mortals, can understand? It is possible that no such theory will ever exist perhaps because the subject is too complex. It is also likely that “Post-capitalism” is already starting to manifest itself onto the daily scene. Therefore, we should not expect some grandiose declaration by some “authoritative” institution. In order to formulate a possible “post-capitalism” scenario, let us first define capitalism.

Capitalism is not a form of government. Many people are not clear about this point and regularly use the words capitalism and Democracy interchangeably. Capitalism is an economic system in which the means of production, price, investment and distribution, etc., are held in private hands. Furthermore, the ultimate goal of capitalism is to grow indefinitely by any means possible to the exclusion of all else, i.e. more profit.

This view of capitalism assumes that there are no physical barriers to its continued growth. And in here lies a major hurdle; we live in a finite world. This last point will be argued by many, suggesting that we will eventually colonize other planets; therefore, the potential for growth is boundless. However, in the here and now, the unrestrained economic growth has meant a significant erosion of our ecosystem, threatening our very existence.

Traditionally, capitalism had been pitted against Communism to contrast its achievements. The difficulty lies in that, as we said earlier, capitalism is an economic system and communism is a social structure in which governance and economics are included. Nevertheless, for purposes of illustration let us try to define what lies at the core of both ideologies.

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