Tag: Thomas Piketty

We live in a time of unparalleled technological progress. He argues that the only effective response is a global political reorganization of social relations—one in which growth is no longer the basis on which society is structured. One of Cohen’s most valuable contributions is his historical perspective on the forces that organize human society. I find Cohen’s arguments both compelling and frustrating. For example, Cohen presents a compelling sociological history of money. My primary critique of Cohen’s thesis is that most of his arguments about growth are really arguments about inequality. Of course, this leaves out a very important 10 percent of the richest households, for whom real income growth was significant. He also includes an argument from Alfred Sauvy (the French historian who coined the term third world) about how technological advances can undermine per capita economic growth through a mechanism that is unrelated to capital accumulation and inequality. And yet, I found myself agreeing with Cohen’s prescription: a new “politics of civilization” that establishes a global solidarity. The social prescription emerging from Cohen’s critique of growth is a global politics where there is social will to implement such an audacious proposal.