Four Futures

Life After Capitalism

By: Peter Frase

Narrated by: Bob Souer

Peter Frase argues that increasing automation and a growing scarcity of resources, thanks to climate change, will bring it all tumbling down. In Four Futures, Frase imagines how this postcapitalist world might look, deploying the tools of both social science and speculative fiction to explore what communism, rentism, socialism, and exterminism might actually entail. Could the current rise of real-life robocops usher in a world that resembles Ender's Game? And sure, communism will bring an end to material scarcities and inequalities of wealth - but there's no guarantee that social hierarchies, governed by an economy of "likes", wouldn't rise to take their place.

A whirlwind tour through science fiction, social theory and the new technologies already shaping our lives, Four Futures is a balance sheet of the socialisms we may reach if a resurgent Left is successful - and the barbarisms we may be consigned to if those movements fail.

©2016 Peter Frase (P)2017 Tantor

Fantastic

The topics are complex but is written clearly in simple language. Definitely a good book for the more political-conscious societies nowadays. Love the simplicity, comprehensiveness and also the occasional jabs of sarcasm :)

short and sweet

needed a short listen, but this was so filled with thought provoking ideas and those ideas were so well referenced that I must buy the book. I look forward to going deep on the possible futures introduced here.

A book well thought out piece

I can't help but feel increasingly nihilistic after reading this book. The rich are just going to kill us all.

A Thought-Provoking Exercise

This book is a masterful thought experiment that serves to help us engage with potentially disasterous or enriching possibilities lying not so far into our future. While not striving to be purely objective, the author seeks to get us engaged in real constructive thought about the future of humanity in the wake of climate change and automation, which is sorely lacking from contemporary conversations about either.

Concise but full of great info

Loved the length. At 2X you can finish it in an afternoon. Absolutely love being able to read a book in a day.