Post-Capitalist Society

Chapter One

From Capitalism to Knowledge Society

Within one hundred fifty years, from 1750 to 1900, capitalism and technology conquered the globe and created a world civilization. Neither capitalism nor technical innovation werenew; both had been common, recurrent phenomenathroughout the ages, in West and East alike. What was brand new was their speed of diffusion and their global reach across cultures, classes, and geography. And it was this speed and scope thatconverted capitalism into "Capitalism" and into a system,and technical advances into the "Industrial Revolution."

This transformation was driven by a radical change in the meaning of knowledge. In both West and East, knowledge had always been seen as applying to being. Then, almost overnight, it came to be applied to doing. It became a resource and a utility. Knowledge had always been a private good. Almost overnight it became a public good.

For a hundred years - during the first phase - knowledge was applied to tools, processes, products. This created the Industrial Revolution. But it also ... read full excerpt from: Post-Capitalist Society ebook