Capitalism, unconstrained by any regulatory process, leads objectively to a concentration of production and monopolies – this was Karl Marx’s key idea. Roughly the same idea is repeated in Ronald Cohen’s article (2021) on the collapse of the U.S. economic system, the goal of which is solely to make the greatest profits. The social and climatic consequences caused by people’s desire to produce more and more unnecessary goods become so devastating that humanity cannot cope with them (Cohen, 2021) This is exactly what the German philosopher warned about in his writings. Marx noted that capitalism’s tendency to ascribe high value to essentially unnecessary goods would eventually lead people to collapse. Under capitalism, the consumer becomes a slave to inhuman, sophisticated, unnatural, and contrived desires.
In predicting capitalism’s self-destruction, Marx devoted his life to studying its problems. However, they persist to this day- the mindless individualistic pursuit of material prosperity, the growth of inequality, and the marginalization of entire populations. The ongoing environmental degradation and corporate-driven climate change can no longer be ignored. Since Marx was mainly interested in the long-term development and transformation of the capitalist system, a legitimate question arises. Namely, many individuals wonder why not use the philosopher’s theoretical developments to solve problems. People want to know whether his writings might help them better understand the current crisis of capitalism and use it to move toward a more viable system centered on people rather than profit. However, it goes without saying that all statesmen are familiar with Marx’s writings. They are aware of how the philosopher’s socialist ideas can improve the lives of their constituents. Nevertheless, not many dare to change the current system, which once again shows how tightly the ideas of capitalism are ingrained in society. Thus, the exercise proves that sometimes people ignore solutions to problems.
References
Cohen, R. (2021). Modern capitalism needs a revolution to undo the damage it has caused. Time.