Sep 9, 2006 10:55:00 AM cite

Tania Bruguera: Well, I think that this is one of the most difficult questions of all [inaudible]. And it´s difficult in the sense of; for me it´s difficult because I am from a socialist system, I developed in a socialist system and now after [inaudible] an adult person know the capitalism. I don´t know, [inaudible] the best thing would be that there comes up a system in which economy wouldn´t be [inaudible] of a socialist system. For me it would be good if there was a political system; well we´re talking about capitalism; the peaceful capitalism of economy and ecology [inaudible] but it would be good if there was an economy which didn´t turn into a dictatorship, which didn´t [inaudible] the things at a social level [inaudible] privileges or a presale at an economic level but that it would be for humanitarian reasons. I think that there might arise, there might come a system, there might [inaudible] a system in which the human being [inaudible] principal and that the economy was one of these aspects to form these human beings and not THE aspect but one of the many aspects in which the human being is a part of this society [inaudible] the economy is something which sustain more projects but well, maybe [inaudible] another way [inaudible] the human being [inaudible] another way of big economy [inaudible] another way to realize a political society.

by Tania Bruguera

Sep 9, 2006 10:55:00 AM cite

Tavis Smiley: That’s a powerful question. Powerful question. What’s after capitalism? The end. And I say that not to be funny, but to point out that capitalism is so ingrained in the way we do our economic business. I’ve said many times that there’s nothing inherently wrong with capitalism except for the fact that they get the capital and too many of us get the “ism,” the racism, the sexism, the cronyism, the good-old-boyism. But there are a select fewer people, select few comparatively speaking, who get all the capital and the rest of us get stuck with the “isms.” And that’s unfair, inherently. But that said, what’s after capitalism? Well, that assumes that people are ever going to stop being greedy. It assumes that money is ever going to stop being the driving force, or the motivating force, for so many. It assumes that the value of money is going to decrease at some point in time. There are a lot of people that don’t think money is the most important thing in the world, perhaps breathing is, but they rank making money right up there with the importance of oxygen. I don’t see that changing anytime in the near future, and so for me to accept this notion that there is something after capitalism, given how greed drives people, is for me to think that after capitalism is the end.

by Tavis Smiley

Sep 9, 2006 10:55:00 AM cite

Tegla Loroupe: Answertext will be available soon.

by Tegla Loroupe

Sep 9, 2006 10:55:00 AM cite

Thenmozhi Soundararajan: I can imagine what’s after capitalism because we are in the most high form of capitalism ever. I would almost want to call it improved capitalism. But that said, once again, the vision and I see as a parallel is really I don’t want to see another Marx and I don’t want to see another Adams. I don’t think that we need thinkers from the West to finding what our relationships look like internationally. What I am really interested is in distributed economies and multiple places where innovation is happening, where people may have some unity around the values of what it takes to create a just society, but the format looks completely different. I think we see parallels of resistance all over. I think Latin America is an incredible place where we can see that where they’re looking at the way that they do distribute budgeting in Porta Alegre to other examples in Bolivia and in Venezuela. I feel the more that we can hold up alternatives as parallels I think the stronger that we’ll be to be able to answer this question. But right now, I think that we’re in the throes of our lives in terms of resisting this capitalism on steroids. What I really want to emphasize is that there is resistance and much of that resistance is coming from young people. And so, for that I feel very honored to be part of this generation of organizing and activism and really just want to continue to remind people that there is a parallel process to consumption and what’s being set forth, and that we can have that vision of a just world and that other world is possible.

by Thenmozhi Soundararajan

Sep 9, 2006 10:55:00 AM cite

Tu Weiming: There's the assumption that capitalism overcomes socialism, and of course plain economy is now replaced by free market economy, and so capitalism together with the values of liberty, of human rights, of legality would be the wave of the future. But as we know that when socialism is greatly undermined, many of the features of capitalism have been considered not at all detrimental to human development. My own sense is that the collapse of socialism eventually will lead to the disintegration of the capitalist system. Hopefully, what will emerge is not necessarily a humane economy but an economy guided by a comprehensive humanistic spirit. In other words, I considered the – for the 21st century that really powerful force for human development is humanistic spirit which is – which transcends simply secular humanism as characteristic of the modern age rooted in instrumental rationality, in science, in anthropocentric and so forth. So, capitalism as a economic system is a rather limited way of organizing the world. In spiritual sense it is highly impoverished because scientists and materialists and technological competence all are considered essential for this development. As we increasingly become aware of the limitations of this particular mentality, secular humanistic mentality, we need to imagine the possibility of a much broader vision of human flourishing, which I characterize as a form of comprehensive integrated humanism, which would be able to deal with the question of equality on the one hand and efficiency development on the other.

by Tu Weiming

Sep 9, 2006 10:55:00 AM cite

Udi Aloni: This is the million dollar question probably. What is after capitalism? After capitalism is what we dream for. After capitalism is, well, after capitalism is what we are all searching for, I think. One way of thinking about it, let's first destroy capitalism and whatever will come that will after capitalism. The other ways to rethink together which new system can adopt the thinking of human rights, human equality, justice for all. And keep still this entrepreneurial nature of people. I would say that the fight between freedom and justice, that people can belong to the same side, but many time they are fighting. Because today freedom is for the rich and justice is what the poor fight for. If somehow we can put more freedom to the poor, and more justice for the poor and reduce some of the freedom maybe that capitalism fight for, the freedom of the privileged. We might find a new system that will be more productive for bigger amount of people. I still repeat, I think we should go back to old revolution that fails, and go and think why'd it fail? And try to take the good from them. Because the problem we gave up on so many good ideas because they were corrupted by power. So, what is after capitalism? I think if there is a reason for this Table to survive, is to start this question.

by Udi Aloni

Sep 9, 2006 10:55:00 AM cite

Valentina Melnikova: We can define the future social order as we want. The important thing is that humanity would follow the way of saving itself and not the way of destruction. We can call this time a Time of Prosperity, time of Paradisiac Life. The most important thing is, that this time shouldn't be the time of war and the time of human demise. The name depends on you, or on me, or on our children and on our grandchildren. Today we can think up an excellent name, for example The Time of the Flourishing Earth. But the most important thing is to save our planet, to save our clean air, our spring water, forrests, not to destroy mountains, not to destroy animals in order that humanity could live in freedom and wonderfull development of every human being, in a blossoming clean world, where life is difficult as life uses to be on Earth, yet it brings satisfaction,and work brings its fruits. My suggestion is perhaps that the Earth will flourish after capitalizm.

by Valentina Melnikova

Sep 9, 2006 10:55:00 AM cite

Vesna Pesic: Answertext will be available soon.

by Vesna Pesic

Sep 9, 2006 10:55:00 AM cite

Viviana Figueroa: What's after capitalism? I think that actually we have to think of what's happening now, of the present and also of the future, but ... this question - why I have to think now what's happening with capitalism in the world, in the system of that exist so extrem situations of comerzialisation [...] I have to think of that before thinking of what will happen after, isn't it? I think that there is sometimes a situation of disillusions [in the system] what actually can't satisfy aspirationsof a lot of human beings... but I can't know what will be after captitalism. What I can know is that if the situation actually continue to be that what is comerzialisation [...what is nature for what the human beings are fighting... what is comerzialisation of human genes]. I think that the situation is very dramatic like human beings in the whole planet. That's why I can't imagine what will be after capitalism. What I can imagine is that there are situations in which we have to overcome this situation of desequilibrium. This situation causes that the economic value is preponderating instead of any other value, for example the nature or any services. This has to change and this is the vision which our presbyters relinquished ... We have to respect nature and we have to maintain a respectful relation with every live being. So we can't commercialise our mother nature - the "Pacha Mama", we can't commercialise our brothers and sisters.

by Viviana Figueroa

Sep 9, 2006 10:55:00 AM cite

Wim Wenders: It seems to me that capitalism is quite incapable of reform, for reintroducing a morality into its structures of operation. So, it will necessarily lead to some giant collapse I am certain. It seems bound to move that - It seems bound to move towards that and after that collapse, probably a reversal of con-power configurations could take place. The now rich and decadent countries will suffer a lot. And Europe and North America and the now hungry and ambitious countries like India for instance and China will rise and flourish. People are capable of amazing things if they are left to their own devices. I saw that happen as a little boy in post-war Germany. My country was completely destroyed and on its knees, but it brought out the best in people. To be completely defeated made everybody surpass himself or herself. My memory of that time of need and suffering, that experience in my childhood has turned me forever into an optimist, and I will always believe in the capacity of humanity to learn, to share and to actually surpass itself. But I guess the lame over saturated, dependent, arrogant and utterly helpless race of people that consumerism and late capitalism have formed will have to go through great turmoil, disappointment, [audio ends]

by Wim Wenders

Sep 9, 2006 10:55:00 AM cite

Yungchen Lhamo: Answertext will be available soon.

by Yungchen Lhamo