Capitalism’s governing order rests on fragile political balances, not inevitability.

Evidence

The particular logic that governs our economic system and the forces that compel and restrain our behaviors are not inevitable. The capital order, held with such reverence by so many neoclassical economists and buoyed by the apparent rigor of mathematics, is actually the result of fragile political balances. — Clara E. Mattei, Escape from Capitalism, 140

Categorization

• XREF: Echoes the core thesis of Mattei’s earlier work linking austerity to design; also parallels Polanyi’s notion that market society is politically constructed. — connects to: A capitalist planned economy was economically viable, blocked only by political will — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School: Its History,…, 484; Capitalism’s apparent naturalness is a constructed hoax, not an inevitability. — Clara E. Mattei, Escape from Capitalism, 26; Capitalist logic is a fragile political construction, not an inevitable order. — Clara E. Mattei, Escape from Capitalism: An Intervention, 140 (+4 more)

Broader Connections

• Capitalist logic is a fragile political construction, not an inevitable order. #corroborates (1.00) — Clara E. Mattei, Escape from Capitalism, 140
• Markets are constructed artifacts requiring sustained political maintenance, not spontaneous phenomena. #expands (0.80) — Donald MacKenzie, An Engine, Not a Camera, 773
• Capitalist states are sites of struggle, not simple tools of capital. #expands (0.78) — David Theo Goldberg, John Solomos, A Companion to Racial and Ethnic Studies, 1668
• Capitalism’s historical contingency implies socialism’s failure is not final. #qualifies (0.75)