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How to be an Anti-capitalist for the 21st Century

Erik Olin Wright, 2018
“This book was originally conceived as a streamlined distillation of the central arguments of Envisioning Real Utopias, published in 2010. In the years after its publication, I gave periodic talks to community groups, activists, and labor groups around the world about the themes in the book. Generally, audiences were enthusiastic about the ideas, but many people found the size and academic trappings of the book off-putting. So, I thought it would be good to write a short reader-friendly version. “One note on the title of this book, “How to be an Anti-Capitalist for the 21st Century”. 

In the book, I argue in favor of democratic market socialism, understood as a radical form of economic democracy. The book could, therefore, have had the title, “How to be a Democratic Socialist for the 21st Century.” I decided to use the more encompassing term “Anti-capitalist” because much of the argument of the book is relevant for people who oppose capitalism, but are skeptical about socialism. I hope that my arguments convince at least some people that radical socialist economic democracy is the best way of thinking about a realizable destination beyond capitalism, but I did not want the book to seem relevant only to people who already agree with that vision.”Shelving
Socialism / Communism / Capitalism