Isis wrote
I'm not equating capitalism with evil. The problem with capitalism is the fact that it embodies the spirit of progress as its driving force. Capitalism works according to its own internal logic which essentially keeps perpetuating the cycle; it's self justifying. A wonderful book to convey this idea is "The Eclipse of Reason" by the German philosopher and sociologist Max Horkheimer.
In this book Horkheimer argues, that in the past human problems and human concerns were always an inherent factor in our consumption patterns. I need food, so I'll trade my well made sword for some of your corn harvest.
The rise of capitalism changed all of this. The race for profit heralded a new era. In a competitive economic setup where there are limited resources, technology started playing a major role in how we define our purpose in life. Technology has always been an integral part of who we are, but with the rise of capitalism our concerns became divorced from the way in which we employ technology. Technology took on a life of its own, because it allowed this inherent logic of capitalism to flourish. We found, through technology, new and improved ways of production. Unfortunately this is not where the story ends. Capitalism is constantly seeking to expose or create new markets to generate profit. This is where the unholy alliance of capitalism and technology became problematic. Man's relationship with technology is no longer one aimed at satisfying needs, but of creating needs that operate under the guise of "progression”. This is where the self perpetuating aspect of capitalism comes into play.
The issue with this is the fact that we never actually consider why this so called progression is desirable. We've created a technologically based consumer society, but are we better off because of it, and at what price? Creating millions of people that sit in cubicles or work on production lines doing the same thing day in and day out only so they can consume products that won't really contribute to their lives in any meaningful way, is not my idea of "better". Treating animals as a commodity so we can continue on our merry way and stuff ourselves with an abundance of calories is where my gripe with blind consumerism lies.
To aggravate matters you have 10% of the population owning 90% of the resources, thus contributing to poverty, as Marx noted.
Technology no longer serves human needs; humans serve technological needs.
All compelling thinking, and I believe it's important to continue to drive oneself towards what is truly meaningful in the current day and age, where it's really easy to get caught up in the consumption cycle you're talking about and forget about the stuff that really matters.
However, I think you also need to maintain some broad perspective when thinking about the "evils" of humanity. While there is plenty of stuff to decry (the vid you posted is an example), there is concomitantly plenty to admire: and this has been pretty much the pattern of human history - amid the horrors of slavery in Egypt, the Pyramids were built; the USA was landing men on the moon while leaders like Martin Luther King were still fighting (and dying) in the struggle against racial discrimination; the 16th century gave us the statue of David and the ceiling of the Sistine chapel, but it was also a time of Conquistadors and Samurai.
Humanity is all about shades of light and dark, and as far as I can tell it pretty much always has been. Technology may contribute to some people becoming coach potatoes, but it also allows us to effectively treat AIDS sufferers. Technology has us living in fear of the nuclear bomb, while nuclear energy powers our homes. The internet makes it easy to propagate child-pornography, hate speech and private information, but it also lets me share thoughts and music with other people, and to hear their stuff in return.
It's all light and dark. So, I guess my message is: be angry when you need to be. But don't despair. We're in about as good/bad a shape as we've ever been. Contribute good stuff while you can.
