I have just finished reading the book “Four Futures: Life After Capitalism” by Peter Frase.
I strongly recommend this book as it provides an interesting perspective on our future as a society and as a species.
What sets this book apart is that it does not focus, like many books in the genre, on “gosh gee” technology. It is not science fiction. It is a nonfiction work that merges together politics, economics, and sociology together into a “forecast” of our future.
The Four Futures address the following scenarios:
- Egalitarianism and Abundance: Communism
- Hierarchy and Abundance: Rentism
- Egalitarianism and Scarcity: Socialism
- Hierarchy and Scarcity: Exterminism
All are predicated on the fact that Capitalism, as we know it, will end due to automation, artificial intelligence, and a host of other technologies that we are seeing coming to life today.
While I admit that it is not the easiest read I’ve ever tackled, it has provided me considerable insights into how our world may evolve, and thus my role in it.