On science fiction and capitalism

Many science fiction writers–but not fantasy writers–are, in many ways, our secular modern version of the Delphic oracles who tried to look into the future. These writers have to construct imaginary worlds based on what is currently known about science and human history and posit various future histories based on what we have now and looking towards the future.

So, why do I find myself thinking about science fiction? Well, since the first beginnings of modern globalism, in the 1970’s, most science fiction writers have been looking at this era in the Earth’s history and conluding that there will be some type of serious change. However, they are not sure of where the change is headed. What they are sure of is that there is not a viable future for this Earth based on a simple continuation of what is currently happening in our history.

Robert A. Heinlein even pre-dated those writers and in 1959 foresaw a world run somewhat on the model of Sparta (Starship Troopers). In the 1980’s Jerry Pournelle saw a world run by an alliance that was falling apart and also saw a war coming upon earth and a resulting semi-Sparta like empire in the galaxy (Falkenberg’s Legions). [Editor’s Note: I had to make a correction in this paragraph. Please note that Isaac Asimov’s Foundation & Empire series, begun in the 1950’s, also had significant amounts of cultural critique, and also foresaw a deep social collapse worldwide.]

Robert Heinlein in the 1980’s saw a world in which the multinational corporations behaved a lot like sovereign countries, right alongside sovereign countries because as the world globalized they had accumulated impressive political and real power. The world pictured was a wild mess, and the only solution was to leave it behind while it self-destroyed and go to the planetary colonies (Friday).

The science fiction writers have been seeing a coming global social explosion for several decades now, even before the term globalization became widespread. Their imaginative minds, that construct worlds and consequences all the time, have been able to follow the threads of history towards a coming explosion.

No, I am not going towards an apocalypse scenario nor for the Second Coming of Christ (although one never knows). However, what is true is that a globalized free market presents some serious problems towards nations of whatever political stripe–no not challenges, outright problems! And, as science fiction writers look to the future, this is one of the areas that they have to deal with as they head towards future history.

You see, the large international companies are now able to fairly freely bypass “local” regulations, to manipulate markets, and to behave in a way that is only responsible to themselves, meaning to their corporate culture and top leadership. And that means that a whole new set of power relationships and structures are in the midst of developing and working alongside national governments. And that is fertile ground for science fiction writers.

Historically, capitalism–meaning free market–began in the 1600’s with Dutch merchants who wanted the government to let them run their business with little interference. They successfully argued to the King that the freedom he would give them, from excessive control and excessive taxation, would result in a much more profitable middle class who would bring more to the King in taxes than the businesses could by themselves (sound familiar?).

But, those businessmen were functioning within the context of country and culture. They were loyal Dutchmen not global entrepeneurs without loyalty and without some form of legal and cultural controls. A capitalism that functions within a national context–even if supposedly free market–actually has some controls built into it. That is why the sweatshops of Charles Dickens’ time, the Scrooges, were able to be stopped eventually and workers were able to be given some protections.

The increasing problem is that as globalization has become stronger and as multinationals have taken advantage of the possibilities, we now have lost those boundaries of context that the early capitalists had. Now, protect workers in one place and the multinational quickly moves the jobs somewhere else. Thus any type of adequate protection against the depradations of “robber barons” and “Scrooges” become increasingly hard to implement.

Moreoever, as the collapse at the end of President Bush’s term shows, there is an increasing lack of loyalty toward either people or nation, with a concommitant inability to exercise self-control. In fact, with a very few exceptions, the top capitalist all were immune from the severe worldwide economic downturn. In particular, Heinlein imagined what a world might be like if capitalism were fully uncontrolled and unbound by custom, culture, or law. And he saw a rather terrible world.

But, a capitalism uncontrolled and unbound by custom, culture, and law has one other danger. If such a capitalism becomes uncontrolled enough and self-serving enough, the calls will increase for what many conservatives most fear. In such a case, the danger is that calls will increase both for a world government that will be able to rein in such a capitalism, and the calls will increase for a system that has more of a concern for people, and more protections for them.

Chillingly, all the science fiction writers who write about this era all expect a massive social explosion. Because all are science fiction writers, they all have to see us making our way through it, but some of the worlds that they imagine before we make it through this period are definitely dark, daunting, and frightening.