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Capitalist Realism
“It is easier to imagine the end of the world than it is to imagine the end of capitalism.”
What is Capitalist Realism?
Since Francis Fukayama’s wrote of “the end of history” and Margaret Thatcher declared “there is no alternative” after the collapse of the Soviet Union, neoliberal capitalism has been presented as the final stage in the organisation of human society. Free-markets are believed to be the most effective method of distribution and capitalism the most effective mode of production.
Mark Fisher’s 2009 book “Capitalist Realism” outlines his ideas for why we are unable to effectively realise an alternative to late capitalism. Late capitalism refers to the forms of corporate capitalism that currently prevail in countries like the UK and the USA, in which corporations have an increasing influence in the technological, democratic, military and medical spheres of society.
Capitalist realism is a term describing the overarching sense that, although capitalism is flawed, there is no system that is better. The confines of what is seen as realistic are built exclusively around capitalism. It is clear to most that something must change but we tend to believe that these issues can be ameliorated by doing capitalism better — the state should be given power to…