Sep 9, 2006 10:55:00 AM cite

Ashok Gangadean: Again, I think this question quite terse and excellent, brings out for us on what we mean by capitalism. Obviously in terms of the normal standards of that word it has to do with the dominance of egocentric culture and contrast to an integral awakened human, a culture of interconnectivity that is grounded in the primal reality of the collective wisdom that humanity has seen that we are profoundly interconnected in the field of reality whether we recognize it or not. So, ego-based cultures and ego-based capitalism really -- capitalism comes from that egocentric, ego-based culture. And, I think this question is inviting us to think, after ego-capitalism what comes next and I think that's the profound crisis and opportunity and trauma we are facing on the planet as we shift from an oldest functional egocentric capitalistic form of culture. And, you can say communists as well, ego-communism, ego-capitalism, ideologies that come from egocentric, egomental mind is really what's an issue. And the question what comes after that kind of culture, and that's the wonderful news on the planet now, is that I believe that we have no choice as humans but to mature now, and mature into the wisdom of our interconnectivity and our sharing and our compassion, the culture of care of becoming full dialogic human beings where we see ourselves in the other. And imagine what will be the culture of that awakened consciousness? What would be the economic process beyond capitalism? It could be a new kind of capitalism, a humane capitalism. So, we don't have to throw the word capitalism out, but just become keenly aware of what is the consciousness and mentality behind those economic systems. And just fair humane economic system by any name is going to be what comes next to be hold, and I think that what’s going to happen on the planet.

by Ashok Gangadean

Sep 9, 2006 10:55:00 AM cite

Audrey Kitagawa: What we really need to look at is the free market itself and see how we can really bring in the whole aspect of ethics and principles that will ultimately seek to regulate and bring about more social justice, economic justice, to the people around the world. So we really need to talk about economic systems that are ethically based, that will address issues of human rights, human justice, and to recognize the rights of people to be able to have access to food, to water, to shelter and not live in abject poverty while a few people live in extreme wealth. So what we really ultimately talking about is a way of moderating our behavior in the market, in the way we live our daily lives, so that we can have a world where this economic disparity is not so huge and where everyone can live life with dignity.

by Audrey Kitagawa

Sep 9, 2006 10:55:00 AM cite

Benjamin Fahrer: What is after capitalism? It’s a return to more sustainable system, or more sustainable and localized system. We are in a stage of evolution. Capitalism is a model that is not sustainable. Anything that is not sustainable has a lifetime and we just so happy to be at the end of the capitalistic life. So what is next? We shall see. We, as people, we don’t know what are necessary evolving into? If we limit the design, we’ll be stuck to those limitations. Therefore, we need to really experiment in what kind of economic systems, ecological systems we want to promote and economic systems that we wish to create. We continue to this experimentation then we shall see what will come. And some mistakes might be blessings. The cause and effects, in some cases are irreversible, and we cannot change the past. Yet we have the opportunity to shape the future that can make mistakes of the past seem like these blessings. We will evolve in some way and our economic system has a potential to evolve into something much more than we can ever imagine. In the absence of what is sacred, we have paid to huge price. We need to take responsibility for that, yet also move on in work towards or more holistic system.

by Benjamin Fahrer

Sep 9, 2006 10:55:00 AM cite

Benson Venegas: Can we imagine a world without capitalism? Can we live without capitalism? I consider that yes. And the futur of what is after capitalism is basically the market of values will be go beyond financial values, and there's gonna be a shift of this paradigm of capitalism. Because we need values. We have people hungry for a change in their life, and values are important. Values are gonna be more important in the futur than financial values as though it is right now. So, the market of values in the futur is going to be one of the most important things. Where we're gonna value more what - [the things] around solidarity, cooperation, for instance, justice, and not necessarily because it is a cheaper product. It's because it has all these values that make a difference. So society is going in a slow pattern of change. I think capitalism over that process, which there would be a shift of this paradigm, and would have a more economic situation that is more based on values and not necessarily economic or financial values.

by Benson Venegas

Sep 9, 2006 10:55:00 AM cite

Beverly Schwartz: After capitalism -- I think with capitalism first we have to have a values-based capitalism. We have to look at how people behave and should behave towards each other within a capitalist system. So with and after along with capitalism is values. And we must be very insistent that along with capitalism as a system, we insert values, because only through inserting values will we have new ways of making money, of sharing money, of sharing wealth, both material wealth, spiritual wealth, intellectual wealth, emotional wealth. These are all different pieces that we have to think of and insert in capitalism. So I think as we develop into hopefully a more aware society, a more connected globe, we will have a values-based economic system; be it capitalism, be it any other system. But I think everything depends on our values; the way we insert our values, the way we interpret our values, the way we use our values. And in that way, after capitalism, before capitalism, with capitalism, comes a values-based economic system. I'm not sure what that looks like, what that would be called, but certainly it is the next step for us.

by Beverly Schwartz

Sep 9, 2006 10:55:00 AM cite

Bianca Jagger: Answertext will be available soon.

by Bianca Jagger

Sep 9, 2006 10:55:00 AM cite

Bill Joy: Capitalism is a system that’s more effectively than any other system in history harnessed people’s desire to make things better by it’s economic structure. But we can ask ourselves and I think in this century what happens if we achieve so much innovation and productivity using the nanoscale technologies and other new technologies such that everybody can meet their basic needs? Will be bored then? Where will get—if everybody has enough money and basic needs and can spend time and relax and enjoy and can create artistic things, people don’t need to spend so much time working, would that be our utopia? It’s possible with automation in this century this might happen. If so then a system which emphasizes production, growth, change, economic conflict between organizations in the marketplace may not be one that’s organized against the things that matter most to us because this kind of economic progress, this kind of competitive environment has a lot of working way too hard. So we can imagine that a new system might emerge based on the fact that everybody has their basic needs met, everybody can be educated and such a system would be perhaps more socialist to some, that everybody has what they need, but we might call it creative, the creativism, an era where everyone can be individually creative and the world is great new individual expression. It will be a wonderful place and I hope I live to see it.

by Bill Joy

Sep 9, 2006 10:55:00 AM cite

Bora Cosic: I don’t believe as in Marxism that capitalism is a particular period in the history, nor that’s clear that after slavery comes feudalism, after it capitalism, after it famous blooming period in the humanity that is socialism and after it communism. This kind of understanding is too patterned. I believe that capitalism is a very effective system in (goods-money) and production relations. It is intelligent to keep some of its elements in the future systems. However I don’t know what kind of system will be ruling in next 100, 200 or more years, but I do believe that something of this economically effective system will maintain.

by Bora Cosic

Sep 9, 2006 10:55:00 AM cite

Brian J. Weller: Wow! What’s after capitalism? Maybe humanism. It’s a strange idea capitalism. You think about capital particularly in terms of money, the flight of capital, the flight of money has been the death of many viable communities and we must reintroduce exchange controls and relocate bank and financial institutions and promote long-term local investments and introduce Tobin-type taxes; particularly to hold down speculative investment. The frequent movement of money across international borders has produced a huge amount of instability in the world economy. So, what’s after capitalism? Localism, coming back to human local scale. Maybe that would put capital back in its rightful place. One of the great principles that I think is important in this is known as the “principle of subsidiarity” and that basically means that particularly the authority of more distant levels of administration should be subsidiary to or subordinate to more local levels of authority. So, I think it’s really to restore the imbalances of capitalism; again, returning to the local. I think that’s the theme of this whole idea of reinventing economy; returning to the local, localization.

by Brian J. Weller

Sep 9, 2006 10:55:00 AM cite

Catherine David:

by Catherine David

Sep 9, 2006 10:55:00 AM cite

China Keitetsi: I think we are the capitalism and capitalism is ours. It will depend, I think on countries, but the way I see our world going so fast, I think capitalism - I don't see anything that can replace capitalism. Because even in poor countries at the moment, they have learned the names of the brand. Even a little child now in developing countries, if you don't buy them Nike or Puma, they get upset. Because our mind and our journey, I don't think we are capable of inventing another thing than capitalism. Because we human beings we want and want and want, and it's very difficult sometimes to be satisfied, and I think we will-I don't see anything after capitalism.

by China Keitetsi

Sep 9, 2006 10:55:00 AM cite

Constantin von Barloewen: The so-called capitalism is non-existent nowadays in its pure form. There are hybrid forms in the states in Northern Europe with social economies. On the other hand it is plain to see that since the opening of 1989, e.g in China or in India, there have been changes. Especially when one thinks of India where until 1991 there was a strict socialist market economy where it was hard to even ask for a telephone, where there was no infrastructure. It is amazing, one has to admit, which powerful economic dynamic has developed, as well concerning the investments, in the states of South America like Brazil or Argentina, or in India or China, under the influence of the free capitalism. The problem is, this is capitalism without any social ethics, a predatory capitalism, a so-called "Manchester capitalism" of the 19th century which ignores social aspects and ecological responsibility completely. When answering the above question one can only say that after capitalism there can be no more economy without social responsibility. And this massive hunger for profits, reigning the world nowadays and spreading throughout Africa, Asia and South America is a huge threat, a brutalisation of the world, undermining democratic principles and meaning a loss of human identity. Capitalism in this sense is a teffifying development which can only be seen with scepticism and criticism.

by Constantin von Barloewen

Sep 9, 2006 10:55:00 AM cite

Cornel West: One cannot talk about the future unless we talk about what we do here in the present. The future’s opening -- that world is incomplete, is predicated on present action, present deeds and present practice. We cannot talk about what is after capitalism unless we come to terms with what we are doing in the capitalist present. Certainly we have a vision and that vision ought to be a deeply democratic vision of empowering poor people across the board, across national boundaries, every corner of the globe. But one cannot talk about what’s after capitalism unless we begin to allow those voices within our capitalist present to be heard from below that project their own visions of what’s after capitalism. Again, I do not think it’s helpful to engage in “ism” talk after the capitalism without talking about what we do now to push back those capitalist forces that are rendering invisible and in some cases crushing the possibilities of those below. The argument that somehow we can capitalize ourselves out of the present situation is not a persuasive one. Capitalism certainly can lift the boats of some, but it does not have the capacity to wipe out the kind of poverty that is such an obscenity on the present global scene.

by Cornel West

Sep 9, 2006 10:55:00 AM cite

Dedi Baron: Answertext will be available soon.

by Dedi Baron

Sep 9, 2006 10:55:00 AM cite

Donato Bayu Bay Bumacas: What’s next to capitalism? Honestly, nobody knows what’s next capitalism. However, if the desire will be overwhelming, the greediness will increase. Let’s say people will want more power, more money, more capital, and end up even using and resort to negative way like war, terrorism, drugs, spreading sickness, and so medicines just to build capital. Then, I would say the next to capitalism might bring to Satanism.

by Donato Bayu Bay Bumacas

Sep 9, 2006 10:55:00 AM cite

Dritëro Kasapi: Well, Ms. Wera Koseleck. Wow, what a question. What’s after capitalism? I don’t know. I feel incapable of imagining anything else. But I certainly feel the need of someone coming, I suppose, the need you have of someone defining that for me. Giving but not in terms of rules and economic theories but in more of a vision of how the world should look like. That vision I lack and maybe that is what a post capitalist era maybe needs is a new vision, which unfortunately, my little me cannot imagine that right now, but the little me really needs someone to give, to come up with a vision of how the world is going to go further. What’s that motto? I really don’t know. I can just imagine what I would like it to be. Equality, solidarity, justice. I suppose all the things that anyone else wants and imagines. But how one does that? What’s the motto? What’s the vision? What are the ways? I really can’t imagine, but I feel a strong need of someone saying that to me.

by Dritëro Kasapi

Sep 9, 2006 10:55:00 AM cite

Eliane Potiguara: After capitalism comes the capitalists' despair. The time will come when the poor people will have the opportunity. This is because we, the oppressed people, lack the opportunity to work, study, participate, to speak up, to live. Then we will be happy. After capitalism and when the capitalists can't fit themselves into the new situation then they will be desperate. Then it is time for capacity, for a qualification such that the capitalists are prepared and have the opportunity to be happy. He must understand in order to switch sides, he must listen in order to be happy. If not, the people in this capitalistic world will suffer severely, they will feel ill since they lost all their possessions. Or maybe not, I don't know how it will be. I believe that they have to prepare themselves to fit into this new world. One day this must happen since it cannot be that the oppressed people live on in the way they do now. The world must change. The world must hear the opressed, must hear the children, the elders.

by Eliane Potiguara