Genius Unbound: Capitalism, Culture and the Dialectic

Abstract

Why have the cultural wars become so divisive? Why are science, religion, and even the fine arts becoming so politicized? Why are dialectic swings in approaches to political economy becoming so dramatic - exemplified by dramatic swings between internationalism and xenophobic nationalism - occurring? Why is national consensus, civil unity, so hard to achieve? This book argues that the answer lies in the growing complexity of societies globally. On the one hand this growing complexity has husbanded a golden era in which the standard of living is rising throughout most of the world; on the other hand it has laid the groundwork for the total destruction of the human race. At the heart of the problem is the tension, the often bitter conflict, between the two forces unleashing modern complexity and its global outreach: creativity enhanced by and impeded by efforts to instill cooperation facing the turmoil creativity has wrought. That reliance on competitive markets, a hallmark of mainstream economics, may offer a panacea is an unfortunate delusion based on a failure to take into account the law of unintended consequences particularly those undergirding ideology and power. Using examples from European history – emphasizing disputes in philosophy, science, art, politics, and political economy – this book offers a framework for understanding conflict in the modern world. There is no shelter from the storm, here, there, or everywhere.