The Automation and the Post-Capitalist Realism

Mark Fisher has made an eye glaring chapter in his book Capitalist Realism, the title is, "It's easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism." Apparently this is the quotation taken from Slavoj Zizek. Fisher come to a very conclusion and tone, similar to Zizek that capitalist realism is now the predominant conception and it is the only viable economic system, and thus it's very difficult to imagine the alternative. In his work, The End of History, written by Francis Fukuyama, Francis trumpeted that after the fall of Berlin Wall, history is now climaxed in liberal-capitalism. According to Zizek, most of the left today is Fukuyamaistic. Capitalism is the only way, no other options. 

The characteristic of this capitalism is leaded by the post-modern logic, as Frederic Johnson claimed. Moreover, Capitalist realism is all about the victory of neo-liberalism that has been infused into the whole systemic part of culture and society. Economic freedom is the main thing, and it will affects the politic in general as well. What come next after capitalism? For people like Fisher capitalism is the climax, and nothing more realistic than this to be applied, no coherent alternative consider to be equivalent of capitalisms. Before we go further, Giacomo Corneo says that there are three devastating consequence of Capitalism at the current three of them are, wastefulness (inefficiency), Injustice and alienation (For most people in Africa, Asian, and Latin America). From these irksome condition raised by capitalism, of course, we can at least expect the other alternative will soon come into existence. If people are stuck at the end of capitalist wall whilst struggling badly perhaps, they will try to destroy it and try to make a new path. History has proved this possibility. When the thesis in history come to play, the anti-thesis come to counter. The synthesis of them will produce new thesis (Similar with former but also distinct).Three things mentioned above as clear weaknesses of capitalism cannot be a solid basis to reject the system fully. Theoretically, there are no perfect world systems. It's an utopian hope!

Nevertheless, some proposed that anarchism or scientific socialism will come when capitalism start to destroy itself. Other propose automation scenario as what might come next. Lets' focus on automation scenario in respond to what's the alternative of capitalism question. David Graeber and several contributors in Work in the Future: The Automation Revolution argue on how work might change in the future. The work and economy in the future will be precarious in 20 or 30 years to come. This further possibility is highly depend on the success of making consciousness available to machine or AI. Philosopher like Daniel Dennet is positive regarding this as he argue, if consciousness is similar high advance machine, one day, we can definitely produce the exact copy of human consciousness. If this narrative happening, there will be a mass unemployment since machine will take over the work. The machines that owned consciousness will likely become more capable than human in myriad areas. 

The old prediction in 1930 essay entitled, Economic Possibilities for our Grand-children says, human working hours will be reduced up to 15 hours a week or 3 hours a day. The robot will owned the market not human. Will this moment ever come? no conclusive answer can be given. It would be somewhat premature to conclude. Next, taking it one step further how does this automation relate with the economic system as a whole? First, the Automation will affect the capitalism in relation to human labor in general. The most advance machine will do the most of human job. There will be mass technological unemployment, and hence consumption will collapse. In addition, not just affecting the labor second, it will also destroy the line between work and leisure, work and wages which are quite clear in capitalist framework and worldview. Last but not least, it will also disturb the proletariat system of capitalism to precariat social strata by this, the triangle in society will be turned upside-down too. Human will greatly hinge on technology, not the reverse. Apparently, all things are highly depend on how the trajectory of technology in the future will bring us. Well, up till now, we can see this prediction of automation thesis maybe far still. The rise of technology today can still bring two effects and not unison either making more work or less work.  At the end, either automation will kills capitalism or just endangers it. Nonetheless, we cannot diminished the "automation peak" can possibly happened in no time. It is not wise to think with the Reverse Luddite Fallacy in arguing this case that since some event has not happened before it the past, it won't happened in the future as well. More likely, the new economic system will rises soon, which we have no precise and apt name for it thus far. At best, we can call it broadly; a post-capitalist realism economy.