Republished from Soundcloud.com In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, the mysterious Satoshi Nakamoto published a revolutionary white paper that described a simple peer-to-peer electronic cash system that would later become Bitcoin. In the decade since the launch of the digital currency, the nascent blockchain technology behind Bitcoin has been heralded as having the… Continue reading
Searched for "Paul Mason"
Techno-Utopianism, Counterfeit and Real 9: Paul Mason
So compared to that of Bauwens and the Monthly Review Group, Mason’s analysis of the crisis tendencies of late capitalism falls a bit flat. Nevertheless, his general framing has a familiar Marxian ring to it, in the same general tradition we’ve been considering: and become the basis for a fundamentally new system.. Techno-Utopianism, Counterfeit and Real by Kevin Carson…. Continue reading
Paul Mason on the Need for Modelling Complexity in a Post-Capitalist Economy
Excerpted from Paul Mason‘s latest book on Post-Capitalism (selection by Nathan Cravens): “Given that we are decades into the info-tech era, it is startling that – as Oxford maths professor J. Doyne Farmer points out – there are no models that capture economic complexity in the way computers are used to simulate weather, population, epidemics… Continue reading
Paul Mason: the P2P Movement has paid insufficient attention to the state
This excerpt, chosen and provided to us by Nathan Cravens, is from Paul Mason’s latest book on PostCapitalism: “At present, the community of thinkers and activists around the peer-to-peer movement are heavily focused on experimental, small-scale projects – credit unions or co-ops, for example. When they think about the state, it is at the level… Continue reading
Why Paul Mason is wrong: you can’t innovate away social oppression
Excerpted from a critique of the PostCapitalism thesis by Kate Aronoff: “Matt Taibbi wrote in 2010, banks are a “highly sophisticated engine for converting the useful, deployed wealth of society into the least useful, most wasteful and insoluble substance on Earth — pure profit for rich individuals.” Technology is just another hurdle they can ably… Continue reading
Debating the strategic insights of Paul Mason on a phase transition towards the commons society
Henry Tam and Pat Conaty, both eminent cooperativist thinkers in the UK, square it out on the value of Paul Mason’s prescriptions in his book on PostCapitalism: I. The questions by Henry Tam: “I listened to the interview with Paul Mason, and it prompted a few thoughts. His book may deal with some of the… Continue reading
Is Paul Mason’s PostCapitalism a version of ‘networked socialism’ ?
Excerpted from a review by Donald Gillies in real-world economics review, issue no. 73: “The central thesis of the book is that because of new technologies (the internet and associated developments), capitalism is in decline and is likely to be replaced within a few decades by an entirely new socio-economic system – PostCapitalism. As Paul… Continue reading
A critique of Paul Mason’s PostCapitalism: on the danger of over-emphasizing the positivity of networks
Excerpted from David Beer: “I think there are some good reasons for us to hesitate before placing networks at the epicentre of any postcapitalist future. One potential problem we might have is with Mason’s attempts to differentiate between networks and hierarchies. This is something he does frequently in his book. As a result, networks’ disruptive… Continue reading
Two criticisms of Paul Mason’s Post-Capitalist Theses: underemphasizing finance and overemphasizing infotech
From an extensive and must-read review by Ann Pettifor: * On the illusory naturalism of Kondratieff cycles “My main beef with Mason’s book is that rather than define this period as one that was man-made – designed largely by the genius John Maynard Keynes and his Cambridge colleagues – Mason defines this period as a… Continue reading
Paul Mason, Ann Pettifor, and Phillip Blond talk about Post-Capitalism
90 minutes of lecture and dialog to explore the theme: “Paul Mason, Economics Editor for Channel 4 News, presents the thesis from his latest book ‘PostCapitalism: A Guide to our Future’ at St Paul’s Cathedral for an event organised by St Paul’s Institute and Penguin UK. Responses from Ann Pettifor (Director, PRIME) and Phillip Blond… Continue reading
Video: Pat Kane and Paul Mason on Post-Capitalism
Excerpts from a debate organized by the Guardian:
Paul Mason – is capitalism dead?
In the wake of the financial crisis and with the rapid rise of new technologies, award-winning economist and journalist, Paul Mason, believes we are on the cusp of a seismic economic shift, of a kind yet to be seen in human history.
A review of Paul Mason’s PostCapitalism: what about the precariat ?
Excerpted from NIKI SETH-SMITH: “This gets to the heart of my objection to Mason’s book. His economic analysis is sound. His projections for the future, were the world not to undergo a radical system change, are disturbingly plausible. My query is with his new political subject. In other words: who is our Furiosa? Let’s look… Continue reading
Paul Mason on the rational case for panic, and the emerging post-capitalist alternative
A video presentation in the Guardian, related to the key message of his new book on Post-Capitalism: “The neoliberalist capitalist model has resulted in civil wars and economic disaster, and it’s only going to get worse. Unless, Paul Mason argues, we take advantage of the technological revolution we are living through and create a postcapitalist… Continue reading
Paul Mason on what we learned in Greece about the future of democracy and post-capitalism
A very considered analysis by Paul Mason on the recent events in Greece, in two parts, and what it means for social change in the rest of the world. At the Democracy Rising conference in Athens. He also gives a preview of the contents and analysis of post-capitalism, the topic of his next book. There… Continue reading
Paul Mason on the emergence of Post-Capitalism
I believe it offers an escape route – but only if these micro-level projects are nurtured, promoted and protected by a fundamental change in what governments do. And this must be driven by a change in our thinking – about technology, ownership and work. So that, when we create the elements of the new system,… Continue reading