Capitalism likes us to believe in the steady, inevitable march of
progress, from the abacus to the iPad. But the historical record tells
of innumerable roads not taken, all of which could have led to better,
more equal worlds, and still can.
Academic and activist Bob Hughes puts flesh on the bones of the idea
that 'another world is possible', using as evidence the technology that
capitalism claims as quintessentially its own: the computer in all its
forms.
Contrary to popular belief capitalism does not do innovation well -
instead suppressing or appropriating it. This book shows that great
innovations have never emerged from capitalism per se, but always from
the utopian moments that occur behind the capitalist's back. And when it
does embrace an innovation, the results are often the diametric opposite
of what the innovators intended.
In this thorough and meticulous work Hughes argues that if we only
prioritized equality over materialism then superior and more diverse
technologies would emerge leading to a richer more sustainable world.
Bob Hughes is an academic, activist, and author. Formerly he taught
electronic media Oxford Brookes University and now spends his time
researching and campaigning against inequality. He is author of Dust or
Magic, a book for digital multimedia workers, about how people do good
stuff with computers. He is a member of No One is Illegal, which
campaigns for the total abolition of immigration controls, for whom he
has written many articles.
