JEFFREY TUCKER REVEALS THE FUTURE BIT BY BIT
JAMES CORBETT (CORBETT REPORT) VIDEO
COMMENTS BY CHARLES SULKA
YOUTUBE VIDEO URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWCwAmRD3Qc
In this video James Corbett and Jeremy Tucker discuss the possibilities for mankind’s future. The pair discuss how the Market, crypto-currency (BitCoin), the Internet, and even the possible collapse of national governments might all be signs of an emerging new world order — or disorder, as the case may be.
Watch the video. Mr. Tucker’s infectious joy in life and his optimism with regard to mankind’s future are like a breath of fresh air in these depressing times.
Some might be encouraged by Jeffrey Tucker’s and James Corbett’s (especially Corbett’s) hopeful expectations in the anticipated demise of the state. The end of government is a Utopian dream of Marxist philosophers (a pipe dream.) The collapse of government is also a long-held dream of Republican politicians. While both groups advocate the ‘end of government,’ the two groups have vastly different visions of what such a future would look like. For the Marxist, the ‘withering away of the state’ would allow men to be free from bondage and exploitation. For Republicans, just the opposite is true: deregulated and emaciated government would allow the enslavement and exploitation of mankind without the bothersome interference of government. Republicans hate the rules and regulations of God and Government. In short, Republicans want to undermine government so the moneyed class can lie, cheat, and steal with impunity. It is obvious that the Republicans vision has become reality, and that things are only going to get worse. The end result is indeed likely to be anarchy.
I think we need a reality check. These two (especially Corbett) are probably naive in their expectation that anarchy — the dissolution of government — will improve the human condition. While it is possible that there could be anarchy in man’s future, it probably won’t improve the lot of humanity … at least not until human society has recovered and rebuilt.
If the powerful governments we have today cannot protect the citizens of the world from subjugation and exploitation by those who would abuse others, how could the people protect themselves without governments? In the current situation — in America and the West in general — the people are oppressed by the neocons and corporatists who support a rapacious financial sector and an increasingly hostile government. Elsewhere in the world, the people are oppressed by religious fanatics, military juntas, and deranged dictators (who also rely on rapacious financial institutions and brutal repression.) Are we to believe that human nature will undergo sweeping change and suddenly men will start acting like angels? Would you wager that men will start acting with compassion and understanding and a sense of fairness in their hearts? The smart money wouldn’t touch that bet.
The history of the human race is the story of the strong, the violent, the forceful exploiting those less able to defend themselves. The reality of man exploiting man is not going to change any time soon, because human nature is not going to change (sorry, liberals.) This is the reason men form governments. Men form alliances for mutual defense — defense against the Other. Responsible men form alliances to protect society from evil men. Or at least that is the theory. Sadly, today, evil men have taken over the government, and turned it against the people, using it as a tool of oppression and exploitation. We must be ever vigilant, else in our complacency we suddenly find ourselves at the mercy of the merciless.
Such alliances for mutual defence and support fall within Tucker’s expansive definition of the Market. The calls for decentralization should not go unheeded. A decentralized system is definitely more resilient, more flexible, more adaptable than a hierarchical organization.
There are some very good take-aways from this video….
Tucker expands the definition of the ‘Market’ so as to allow us to see it as the central feature of human existence. Tucker sees the Market as a ‘matrix’, although I don’t recall him using that term, exactly. In this view the Market is a matrix of interpersonal relationships, dependencies, cooperative efforts, sharing, and mutual support nurturing the human mind, body, and spirit. His explanation is brilliant: in his view, the Market encompasses all human interaction. In Tucker’s vision, the economics of trade — exchanging goods and services — is but one small part of the larger social function we might think of as the Market.
The man’s excitement at the potential of this all-encompassing Market to raise the level of the human spirit is infectious. What is inspiring is the possibility that much of what Tucker and Corbett predict could actually come to pass. Around the world, people are awakening … beginning to realize that kings, princes, and presidents — and especially the economists who mislead them — have it all wrong. Embracing what Tucker calls humanistic economic principles could lead to a new age of peace and prosperity. The internet and this expansive Market concept, coupled with new economic thinking (much the same as the ‘Scriptural economics’ advocated by others, including myself) might be the basis for a global paradigm shift that brings the human race to a higher level. (Might come true, I’m not one to argue against it.)
The simple, yet sound, principle that undergirds Tucker’s vision of the future is *inclusiveness.* The future holds great promise for mankind — all of mankind, not just the privileged few. Tucker’s philosophy espouses the view that all human beings have something to contribute to human society. This view is in direct opposition to the neoliberal economic principles of exclusiveness — the small-minded economic thinking that has done so much damage in the world.
Western capitalism exploits man by allowing a parasitic investor class to extract a large share of the output of labor, allowing the rich to live off the back of the working class. The game is rigged against the working man, with serious consequences for society. The ruling class oppresses man by denying him the opportunity to realize his full potential, to be all that he can be, so to speak. In Western economics today, the few profit from the loss and sufferings of the many … hampering their development, limiting their access to resources, restricting their access to markets, and denying them the opportunity to participate in the economic life of the nation. We need to rethink basic economic principles if we are to overcome the limitations of so-called ‘free-market’ capitalism (a misnomer if ever there was one.)
As Tucker astutely points out, human society as a whole is vastly richer when all persons are given the opportunity to contribute to the commonwealth. Such a system would provide resources, encouragement, and support, allowing the people to maximize their potential. For humanity to thrive, we should embrace this writer’s concepts; we should trust in the synergy of the all-encompassing (and all-inclusive) Market as defined by Tucker.
One other concept which Tucker is convinced will be a boon to mankind is the ‘blockchain.’ Corbett is also a true believer in this concept, evidenced by his advocacy of ‘crypto-currency.’ The blockchain is, basically, the process of decentralization of functions which we have come to assume need to be centralized, such as money, government records, contracts and commitments, etc.
While still in its infancy, the blockchain concept underlies the emergence of ‘crypto-currencies’ which some say could replace government issued currencies in the not-too-distant future. The idea may be ahead of its time … and then again, the blockchain might come to envelop all of human interactions (particularly trade) in short order. It is really impossible to speculate on the true potential for the blockchain concept. The blockchain concept is now technically feasible on a global scale because of the advent of the internet.
One development that incorporates the blockchain concept is ‘crypto-currency.’ Crypto-currencies such as BitCoin are seen by some as a means to free mankind from economic exploitation. Private central banks are seen by many to be the ultimate evil, a pox on human society, a scheme which produces no benefit to the larger society but which instead enslaves the human race to a parasitic financial class. It is claimed by advocates of crypto-currencies that they will disempower central banks, such as the Federal Reserve, leading to democratization of the economy.
Whether this will actually be the outcome of the crypto-currency phenomenon is far from certain. History is rife with examples of the loss and suffering, the seemingly endless economic exploitation, and the financial destabilization caused by the private minting of money. This is why the Founders specifically outlawed the practice and enshrined government management of the economy in the U.S. Constitution. (That Congress has abnegated their responsibility in the management of the economy is one of the primary causes of our economic woes.)
The result of the government’s mismanagement of the economy, facilitated by the ‘junk economics’ that now dominates mainstream economic thinking, especially in America, has been the destabilization and disruption of the economy by the manipulators in the financial sector. The disaster of neoliberal economics has resulted in calls for reform. Since economic consolidation and centralization is undisputed as a leading cause of the collapse of the current deregulated economy, proposals to decentralize the economy are in many ways quite sound. In keeping with the theme of decentralization, we see a growing number of people suggesting decentralization of the process of issuing currency, eliminating the banking function altogether.
This probably won’t work. The proposal to decentralize the issuance of currency is unsound for a number of reasons. First and foremost among them is the fact that the issuance of credit — which is essential to modern economic activity — is the primary function of central banks. The blockchain function does not seem suited to this purpose (For an excellent examination of this issue see “Cryptos Fear Credit” by Perry Mehrling)(1)
Decentralizing the creation of money might at first glance seem to be a promising idea. But it is hardly a new idea. It is an idea that has been tried many times, and it is an idea that has never worked. The private minting of money always leads to financial collapse and chaos (and widespread personal suffering.) The Founding Fathers knew that a nation’s money needs a sound basis; thus the Constitution specifically limits the power to issue the currency to the Federal government.
The blockchain concept might still prove useful in the economy of the future. It could represent a simple and direct means of getting around central bankers and government restrictions on the movement of cash. Today restrictions on the movement of cash greatly impact the freedom of the individual, while the damage to society from unregulated movement of capital by banksters and corporate money launderers is almost never addressed by governments in thrall to the moneyed class. The blockchain could force change through a more democratic processes. Only time will tell.
This is really a great video that everyone should watch.
(1) https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2017/10/cryptos-fear-credit.html
(chs 10-14-2017 09:42 -0500)