otrops reviewed PostCapitalism by Paul Mason
Review of 'PostCapitalism' on 'Storygraph'
4 stars
I was fascinated by some of the economic models Paul Mason discusses, such as Kondratieff cycles and Marx's labour theory of value. Ultimately, though, I was unconvinced by his arguments.
There are three reasons for this. His sometimes mystifying logical leaps of faith, his oversimplification of technology and his reliance on state-based solutions.
Over and over again in this book, Mason would build an interesting argument only to make a leap to a conclusion that isn't entirely supported by his argument. Examples are his arguments around the changes in technology, characterising almost everything that results in jobs as the 'gig' economy and coming to the conclusions that for this to be tenable we'd eventually have to make kissing illegal. Yes, that conclusion was tongue-in-cheek, but also show some of the very twisted and unconvincing logic that Mason often resorts to.
As is probably clear from the above, Mason's view of …
I was fascinated by some of the economic models Paul Mason discusses, such as Kondratieff cycles and Marx's labour theory of value. Ultimately, though, I was unconvinced by his arguments.
There are three reasons for this. His sometimes mystifying logical leaps of faith, his oversimplification of technology and his reliance on state-based solutions.
Over and over again in this book, Mason would build an interesting argument only to make a leap to a conclusion that isn't entirely supported by his argument. Examples are his arguments around the changes in technology, characterising almost everything that results in jobs as the 'gig' economy and coming to the conclusions that for this to be tenable we'd eventually have to make kissing illegal. Yes, that conclusion was tongue-in-cheek, but also show some of the very twisted and unconvincing logic that Mason often resorts to.
As is probably clear from the above, Mason's view of technology is often oversimplified. To be fair, his view of technology is balanced, he see both pros and cons. But the pros are as worrying as the cons. A great example of this is his section on models. He seems to expect a nearly perfect model and advises "model first, then act". And while this is good advice, there is no evidence of feedback. There is no understanding that, to quote George Box, "all models are wrong but some are useful." It is worrying and it is a thread that pervades the entire book. The economic models he describes as being right 100% of time. Marx's "labour theory of value", for instance, is presented this way. It's problematic, though, since this doesn't seem to account for some of the challenges the modern world faces, such as the gap between women's wages and mens..
Finally, I was taken aback by Mason's statement, again without any real support, that the solution to climate must be a state-based solution. If the last few years have taught me anything, it is that state-based solutions cannot be relied upon, that governments do not last forever and that democracy is a challenge. Towards the end of the book, Mason does caveat this by saying that his state-based enthusiasm is only one of many possible solutions, but those are only covered in a few hasty sentences.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading this book. While I wasn't entirely convinced, it challenged may of my preconceptions. And challenging the world I've come to believe in is something that I appreciate from any book.
