Democratic institutions can again produce countermeasures to abnormal accumulation
Evidence
Cynicism is seductive and can blind us to the enduring fact that democracy remains our only channel for reformation. It is the one idea to have emerged from the long story of human oppression that insists upon a people’s inalienable right to rule themselves. Democracy may be under siege, but we cannot allow its many injuries to deflect us from allegiance to its promise. It is precisely in recognition of this dilemma that Piketty refuses to concede defeat, arguing that even “abnormal” dynamics of accumulation have been—and can again be—mitigated by democratic institutions that produce durable and effective countermeasures: “If we are to regain control of capital, we must bet everything on democracy.…” — Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, 1644
Categorization
- XREF: connects to: Finance may revitalize democratic community rather than only undermine it — Aris Komporozos-Athanasiou, Speculative Communities: Living with…, 396; Modern democracy’s checks weaken but do not remove genocidal potential; Stable open government with countervailing institutions is needed to stimulate trustworthiness — Russell Hardin, Trust and Trustworthiness, 519 (+5 more)
Broader Connections
- Stable open government with countervailing institutions is needed to stimulate trustworthiness
#corroborates(0.82) — Russell Hardin, Trust and Trustworthiness, 519 - Modern democracy’s checks weaken but do not remove genocidal potential
#contradicts(0.80) - Reform-minded dissent within a system strengthens rather than threatens it
#exemplifies(0.78) - Counter-speculation weaponizes volatility against institutional power holders
#complicates(0.75) — Aris Komporozos-Athanasiou, Speculative Communities, 15 - Modern society replaces stratification with juridification and democratization, both already overloading
#complicates(0.72)