From Capitalist Realism to Anarchist Idealism, Part Six
This is Part Six of an ongoing thought-stream. Here are links to Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, and Part Five.
Where Do We Go from Here?
In recent years, a number of authors on the Left have tried to define a new utopian vision and pragmatic program for the future. Relevant manifestos include Fully Automated Luxury Capitalism by Aaron Bastani, Post-Capitalism by Paul Mason, Inventing the Future by Nick Srnicek, and Four Futures by Peter Phrase. Similar ideas and proposals repeat in all of these books. Inventing the Future boils it down to a lucid four-point program:
Institute Full Automation
Distribute a Universal Basic Income
Reduce Working Hours to the Minimum
Establish the Right to Be Lazy / Diminish the Work Ethic
To this list, I propose adding:
Remove Restrictive Intellectual Property Rights
To accomplish these objectives, Srnicek believes the Left must reinvent itself, rediscover its power to reach the…