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Values shifts are central to the long-term transformation to After Capitalism. A year ago I asked readers to rate which of the seven drivers of After Capitalism would be most important, and values shifts came out on top.
From a values perspective one might say we’re at Peak Capitalism, a concept coined by Professor Richard Wolff, who has been a strong voice against capitalism, way back in 2009. The case for the values version of peak capitalism is that modern values, which fit perfectly with capitalism, are peaking, traditional values which are generally supportive of capitalism are declining, and on the flip side, postmodern values are turning against capitalism and integrals are already moved on from it. [NOTE: I’m talking about late-stage capitalism in affluent countries here.]
| Values | View on Capitalism | Peeking ahead |
| Traditionals (@20-25% of population): The focus is on following the rules and fulfilling one’s predetermined role, with priorities such as respect for authority, religious faith, national pride, obedience, work ethic, large families with strong family ties, and a strict definition of good and evil. | Most likely to be accepting of the current system whatever it is – capitalism in this case – and play their proper role in it. They may have a conflict with another system of importance, say a religion or labor union, but they generally remain loyal to the existing order .. unless that system is seen as violating the rules of the bargain. | Traditional values are generally on the decline in affluent countries. While they might hang on in terms of loyalty to capitalism, there may also be a breaking point where capitalisms problems become intolerable and lead them to shift their allegiance elsewhere. |
| Moderns (@40% of population): The focus is on achievement, growth, and progress, with priorities such as high trust in science and technology as the engines of progress, faith in the state (bureaucratization), rejection of out-groups, an appreciation of hard work and money, and a determination to improve one’s social and economic status. | The most avid supporters of capitalism. If you were designing an economic system for modern values, capitalism would be it. Capitalism fits perfectly with the modern priorities of competition, growth, and achievement. Perfectly!!! | Modern values are peaking if not already in decline in the affluent nations. We can expect them to be strong champions for capitalism given the ideas fit, but their influence is likely to slowly decline over time. |
| Postmoderns (@25-30% of population): The focus is on the search for meaning in one’s life, with priorities such as self-expression, including an emphasis on individual responsibility as well as choice, imagination, tolerance, life balance and satisfaction, environmentalism, wellness, and leisure. | If I had to pick a single word to describe their view of capitalism, I would say skeptical. Capitalism has a major problem with postmoderns in that the issues it struggles with are hot buttons for postmoderns: environmental issues (strike one), equity issues (strike two), and one might say over-infatuation with tech progress (strike three). For many postmoderns, capitalism is out! | This postmoderns emerged in the late 1960s/early 1970s and has been slowly growing since then. They still trail moderns in overall numbers, but they are increasingly influential. I think capitalism could have bought itself some time by making a strong move to something akin to “stakeholder capitalism.” You blunt the worst edges of capitalism and postmoderns might go along. But … |
| Integrals (@2-5% of population): This leading edge of values change is characterized by a practical and functional approach to drawing upon values that best fit the particular context. The first three value types derive from the World Values Survey, but this one is derived from Integral Theory and Spiral Dynamics. | The Integrals may be less ideologically strid35ent in their opposition to any system, but their practicality is such that they are willing and able to admit its time and move on to what’s next. They will very quietly start doing it. Taking action now, without a lot of fanfare … leading by example. | This group is still tiny but may well be the vanguard for the transformation to capitalism. |
I am making some huge generalizations here, and speaking primarily about affluent nations in late-stage capitalism. but I think it is useful have a starting point for thinking through where people are at with the existing system in order to have a sense of how long the transformation to After Capitalism might take, which I’ve put at 20-30 years. – Andy Hines
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