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A review by agnestyley
Postcapitalism: A Guide to Our Future by Paul Mason
challenging
informative
slow-paced
3.0
enjoyed:
- clear and punchy explanation of how information technology is fundamentally altering the functionality of capitalism (zero marginal cost, go pirate!)
- there being PRACTICAL HOPE and a determination amongst the left!
- the joys of open source projects like wikipedia - free stuff = good! humans should not have to work if their needs are met
- destroying the neoliberal consensus (market economy ≠ only economy, shockingly)
confusing:
- so much marxist economic theory. which is interesting but oh so very confusing to understand when you have absolutely zero grounding in fundamental economics
- as much as i love labour history you should not have 50% of a book that's supposed to be a "guide to the future" about the historical development of industrialism
- why there was very little focus on the role of the global south, especially in the final chapter (the only bit actually about the future). yes he would occasionally reference it but no foregrounding or empowerment of actors in the global south, very western centric. the few sentences of the impact of climate on migration were good, but a mere few sentences.
glad I read but felt it was not written coherently tbh. he had a lot of ideas about various things but they didn't all need to go in one book.
- clear and punchy explanation of how information technology is fundamentally altering the functionality of capitalism (zero marginal cost, go pirate!)
- there being PRACTICAL HOPE and a determination amongst the left!
- the joys of open source projects like wikipedia - free stuff = good! humans should not have to work if their needs are met
- destroying the neoliberal consensus (market economy ≠ only economy, shockingly)
confusing:
- so much marxist economic theory. which is interesting but oh so very confusing to understand when you have absolutely zero grounding in fundamental economics
- as much as i love labour history you should not have 50% of a book that's supposed to be a "guide to the future" about the historical development of industrialism
- why there was very little focus on the role of the global south, especially in the final chapter (the only bit actually about the future). yes he would occasionally reference it but no foregrounding or empowerment of actors in the global south, very western centric. the few sentences of the impact of climate on migration were good, but a mere few sentences.
glad I read but felt it was not written coherently tbh. he had a lot of ideas about various things but they didn't all need to go in one book.