Beyond Marx with Marx

Episode Title: Decoding Marx's Most Contested Law: The Falling Rate of Profit

Episode Description:In this episode, we tackle what Karl Marx famously called "in every respect the most important law of modern political economy". We are diving deep into the scholarly paper "Testing the Tendency of the Rate of Profit to Fall: A Critical Review of Theoretical Debates and Empirical Evidence in Marxist Political Economy", authored by S A Hamed Hosseini.

Hosseini provides a comprehensive survey of the theoretical debates and empirical attempts to test the Law of the Tendency of the Rate of Profit to Fall (TRPF) from the late nineteenth century to the present day. The core of this economic law is simple yet powerful: under competitive pressures, capitalists invest heavily in labor-saving machinery, causing the organic composition of capital to rise over time. Because only living labor produces new surplus value, if this composition grows faster than the rate of exploitation, the general rate of profit must inevitably decline.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The Battle of Interpretations: How different schools of Marxist thought—including the New Interpretation, the Macro-Monetary approach, and the Temporal Single-System Interpretation (TSSI)—rely on distinct value-theoretic frameworks to define and measure profit.
• The Measurement Minefield: Why calculating the rate of profit is far from straightforward. We break down the massive debate between current-cost valuation (which values capital at replacement cost) and historical-cost valuation (which tracks the actual money advanced and captures "moral depreciation").
• Productive vs. Unproductive Labor: How the growing share of state, trade, and financial employees—considered deductions from surplus value in classical Marxist theory—fundamentally alters how we measure exploitation and overall profitability.
• The Empirical Verdict: What the data actually tells us about US and global profitability. While almost all measures agree that US profit rates fell significantly between the late 1940s and early 1980s, the post-1982 trajectory remains fiercely contested depending on whether you use historical or current replacement costs.
• The Heinrich Controversy: A look at the recent theoretical shockwave questioning whether the falling rate of profit can be proven with pure logical necessity, or if it must be treated as a historically contingent tendency to be tested empirically.

Whether you are an economic theorist, a student of political economy, or simply curious about the deep mechanical contradictions that drive capitalist crises, this episode demystifies the quantitative and qualitative frontiers of Marxist economics.

Hashtagged Keywords:#MarxistEconomics #RateOfProfit #CapitalismInCrisis #PoliticalEconomy #KarlMarx #EconomicTheory #ValueTheory #TSSI #USProfitability #HamedHosseini

In this episode, we unpack the landmark volume The Drama of the Commons, a seminal work produced by the National Research Council and edited by a distinguished panel of scholars: Elinor Ostrom, Thomas Dietz, Nives Dolšak, Paul C. Stern, Susan Stonich, and Elke U. Weber. For decades, Garrett Hardin’s gloomy "Tragedy of the Commons" model dominated environmental policy, asserting that individuals are locked into an inexorable logic of self-interest that must inevitably ruin shared pastures, forests, and oceans. But this groundbreaking book reframes the conversation entirely, showing that the cooperative management of shared resources is not an impossibility, but a rich and complex "drama" filled with tragedy, history, and even comedy.

We dive into the crucial analytical distinction developed by Ostrom and her co-editors: the difference between a common-pool resource (defined by its physical traits of subtractability and the difficulty of excluding users) and a common property regime (the social and legal rules created by humans to govern access). By separating the physical resource from the governance structure, the authors show how communities can successfully manage shared wealth without resorting to top-down state coercion or complete privatization.

Our discussion highlights the core institutional design challenges and insights explored throughout the book:

• The Power of Communication: We look at how face-to-face discussion transforms classic social traps like the prisoners' dilemma into coordination games by building mutual trust, reducing social distance, and eliciting shared commitments.
• The Heterogeneity Puzzle: We address how social, cultural, and economic inequalities among resource users—such as "head-end" and "tail-end" asymmetries in irrigation networks—influence the incentives to cooperate and the types of rules a community chooses.
• The Challenge of Scale: We explore how to build "nested" systems of governance that vertically link local community-based practices with national and international environmental regimes to manage highly complex, fluctuating ecosystems.

Tune in to discover how bringing together game theory, experimental psychology, and structured field studies can help us move beyond the myth of inevitable ruin and design resilient institutions for a sustainable future.

#TheDramaOfTheCommons #ElinorOstrom #ThomasDietz #NivesDolsak #PaulCStern #SusanStonich #ElkeWeber #TheCommons #CommonPoolResources #CommonPropertyRegimes #ResourceManagement #EnvironmentalPolicy #CollectiveAction #SelfGovernance #Cooperation #GameTheory #SocialCapital #OstromDesignPrinciples

Always Struggle: Celebrating a Half-Century of Commoning and Social Reproduction

Description:In this episode, we pay tribute to over fifty years of revolutionary theory, passionate praxis, and militant organizing by diving deep into the landmark collection, "Commoning with George Caffentzis and Silvia Federici". Edited by Camille Barbagallo, Nicholas Beuret, and David Harvie, and published by Pluto Press, this book brings together an exceptional cohort of activist-intellectuals to celebrate, critique, and expand upon the seminal ideas of two of the greatest living theorists of the commons.

Throughout the episode, we explore the core thread that binds Caffentzis and Federici's work: the concept of "struggle" as a practice, a theory, and a method. We trace their rich political trajectories—from the anti-war and civil rights movements of the 1960s to the Wages for Housework Campaign of the 1970s, their formative years witnessing structural adjustment in Nigeria, and their ongoing involvement in global counter-globalization and anti-capitalist networks.

We highlight some of the book's most compelling essays and contributions to show how these ideas continue to circulate in today's social movements:

• Harry Cleaver reflects on his early "comradely appropriation" of their work to reformulate how we study student and peasant struggles.
• Peter Linebaugh details the fascinating history of Thomas Spence’s "freedom coins" and the historical battles over enclosed land.
• Massimo De Angelis maps out "the strategic horizon of the commons", while Sian Sullivan utilizes Federici's Caliban and the Witch to critique "Earth Incorporated" and the modern financialisation of nature.
• We unpack critical analyses of social reproduction and the home, including Viviane Gonik on the historical separations of productive and domestic labor, and Camille Barbagallo on slavery, motherhood, and the domestic sphere as a site of both domination and resistance.
• We tackle the technological and ecological frontiers of capitalism, exploring Nick Dyer-Witheford’s critique of Artificial Intelligence through the lens of "self-reproducing automata" and Dave Eden’s examination of Australia's energy crisis as a social crisis of work.
• Finally, we look at how to build thriving communities of resistance today through Marina Sitrin’s reflections on "affective practice" in the assemblies of the Movements of the Squares, Rojava, and the Zapatistas.

This book is much more than a collection of academic papers; it is a vital, living toolbox for anyone seeking to build a world beyond the state and the market. Join us as we explore how we can re-enchant our world, rebuild relational solidarities, and practice commoning in our everyday lives.

#Commoning #SilviaFederici #GeorgeCaffentzis #SocialReproduction #WagesForHousework #MidnightNotes #TheCommons #AntiCapitalism #Feminism #CalibanAndThewitch #PoliticalEcology #AutonomousMarxism #AlwaysStruggle #PlutoPress #MilitantScholarship

Reclaiming the Forest: Young Sin Jeong on Commoning, Decommonisation, and the Rebirth of Jeju’s Dongbaek-dongsan

Description:Today, the concept of the commons is utilized across the political spectrum, from anarchists to neo-liberals, yet there is a massive gap between academic theory and civil society practices. In this episode, we dive into the groundbreaking paper "From Decommonisation to Re-commonisation: A Conceptual Approach to the Study of Social Change Based on the Theory of the Commons" by Young Sin Jeong of Jeju National University.

Jeong argues that the dominant academic approach, led by Elinor Ostrom and her followers, is too resource-centric and treats the commons merely as static, pre-existing goods. Instead, we must understand the commons through the lens of commoning—an active, relational social practice that shapes both the resources and the communities managing them.

We examine how capitalist markets and state interventions often drive decommonisation, severing the vital relationship between local communities and their environments. Our focal point is the fascinating case study of Seonheul Village on South Korea's Jeju Island and its relationship with the primeval forest, Dongbaek-dongsan. We trace its history from a vital subsistence commons to a site of tragic state-led massacres and subsequent alienation after being designated a state-protected cultural heritage zone. Finally, we discuss how the creative intervention of environmental activists and the establishment of grassroots democratic assemblies turned this "trauma forest" into a globally recognized ecotourism pilot project. This transition shows how re-commonisation can restore broken ecological relationships and spark a broader, self-proliferating "ecosystem of commons".

#Commoning #Decommonisation #ReCommonisation #YoungSinJeong #JejuIsland #DongbaekDongsan #SeonheulVillage #Ecotourism #ElinorOstrom #GrassrootsDemocracy #EnvironmentalSociology #SocialChange #NewEnclosure #EcosystemOfCommons

Simulating Utopia: Can "Commonism" Work at Scale?

Description: In this episode, we tackle the ultimate question of whether a complex, modern society can function completely free of markets, money, and state coercion. We dive into the groundbreaking paper "COMMONSIM: Simulating the utopia of COMMONISM," published in the Review of Evolutionary Political Economy by co-authors Lena Gerdes, Ernest Aigner, Stefan Meretz, Hanno Pahl, Annette Schlemm, Manuel Scholz-Wäckerle, Jens Schröter, and Simon Sutterlütti. The authors construct a sophisticated agent-based model (ABM) to experimentally test "Commonism," a utopian vision of a society coordinated entirely through bottom-up signalling and polycentric networks based on human needs.We break down how this model builds on three core pillars:

• The Micro Level (The Individual): Drawing on German critical psychology, we explore how human motivation is driven by "productive needs"—the desire to actively shape our living conditions—rather than the market-enforced logic of homo economicus.
• The Meso Level (The Commons): We examine the self-organised practice of "commoning," where groups produce use values directly to satisfy sensual-vital needs, creating a powerful, cooperative logic of inclusion.
• The Macro Level (The Society): We look at how a multi-sectoral production network coordinates supply chains without money, utilizing "stigmergy"—decentralised communication through signs—to signal and meet demand.

The conversation highlights the simulation's results across three baseline allocation mechanisms: inclusive, culture-dependent, and exclusive. We discuss why the highly consumption-oriented and egoistic "traditionalist" culture collapses under exclusive conditions, and how the introduction of two institutional buffers—a common inventory and indirect reciprocity—can successfully rescue the system and stabilize large-scale, voluntary cooperation. Tune in to discover how complexity science is proving that the cooperative game is not only possible, but highly resilient.

#Commonism #CommonSim #AgentBasedModeling #UtopianStudies #PostCapitalism #TheCommons #Commoning #CriticalPsychology #Stigmergy #PolycentricGovernance #ComplexityEconomics #CooperativeEconomy #AlternativeFutures #EconomicSimulation

In this episode, we explore the radical proposition that food—one of the most fundamental requirements for human life—should be governed not as a private commodity, but as a shared commons. Drawing from the final chapter of the Routledge Handbook of Food as a Commons, authored by Olivier De Schutter, Ugo Mattei, Jose Luis Vivero-Pol, and Tomaso Ferrando, we examine the "embarrassing predicament" of our current era: a world where a billion people are over-fed while another billion lack basic access to nutrition.

The authors challenge the long-standing "commodification" of food, arguing that treating calories purely as objects of exchange value has led to catastrophic ecological footprints, massive waste, and a Big Food industry that prioritises profit over health and use value. We discuss the structural failures of both the "extractive" market and the "centralised" state, looking at how corporate concentration—where only a few megacorporations control the vast majority of the global agrochemical industry—has created a "race to the bottom" for farmers and consumers alike.

Moving beyond the binary of state-run bureaucracies versus neoliberal markets, we break down the authors’ visionary "Tri-centric" governance model. This framework introduces a "Partner State" that enables civic action, "Civic Collective Actions" like community-supported agriculture and urban gardens, and a "Non-profit Private Sector" that operates for social good rather than mere capital accumulation. Join us as we discuss how a transition to a "food commons" can help us move from "bullshit abundance" toward a truly sustainable, democratic, and equitable food system.

#FoodAsCommons #OlivierDeSchutter #UgoMattei #JoseLuisViveroPol #TomasoFerrando #FoodSovereignty #PostCapitalism #SustainableFoodSystems #PartnerState #Agroecology #FoodJustice #RightToFood #TriCentricGovernance #Commoning #EconomicDemocracy

In this episode, we confront the challenge of "capitalist realism"—the widespread sense that capitalism is the only viable system—by exploring a comprehensive roadmap for a post-capitalist future. We take a deep dive into the work of Hannes Gerhardt and his book, "From Capital to Commons: Exploring the Promise of a World Beyond Capitalism." Gerhardt introduces a transformative framework he calls "Compeerism," an amalgamation of the commons and peer-to-peer production that aims to outgrow the extractive logic of capital.

We break down the four fundamental hurdles standing in the way of a commons-based transition: the cooptation of our digital "general intellect," the private control of material infrastructure, the monopoly of money over value, and the lack of a unified political mobilization. From there, we explore Gerhardt’s vision for reclaiming these spheres. We discuss "taking back the internet" through platform cooperatives and self-sovereign identity, democratizing our energy through renewable microgrids, and the radical potential of the "Design Global, Manufacture Local" (DG-ML) model.

The conversation also tackles the "monetary-banking apparatus," exploring how the state could reclaim sovereign control over money to fund a Universal Basic Income (UBI) and a Green New Deal. Finally, we look at the political strategy of a "movement of movements" and the creation of a "Partner State"—a government that facilitates civil-society commoning rather than corporate profit. Join us as we discuss how to stop playing a competitive game with few winners and instead start a cooperative one aimed at collective thriving.

#Compeerism #HannesGerhardt #FromCapitalToCommons #TheCommons #PostCapitalism #P2P #EconomicDemocracy #DigitalCommons #SovereignMoney #UniversalBasicIncome #CircularEconomy #PartnerState #MovementOfMovements #EconomicTransformation #GeneralIntellect

In this episode, we explore the radical and hopeful landscape of prefigurative politics through the definitive collection, "The Future is Now: An Introduction to Prefigurative Politics," edited by Lara Monticelli. We move beyond traditional forms of protest and party politics to examine how movements are "building a new society within the shell of the old." This journey begins with the historical roots of the concept in anarchist and Marxist traditions, as explored by Paul Raekstad, and moves into the Foreword by Arturo Escobar, who positions prefiguration as a vital response to our current civilizational crisis.

We discuss the "radical imagination" with Aris Komporozos-Athanasiou and Chiara Bottici, viewing it not as a flight from reality, but as a generative force that produces new social forms in the present. The episode highlights diverse, real-world "concrete utopias," from the spiritualized communal experiment of Auroville in India, shared by Suryamayi Aswini Clarence-Smith, to the self-managed "differential space" of Christiania Freetown in Copenhagen, analysed by Jilly Traganou. We also delve into the transformative "women’s revolution" in Rojava, where Eleonora Gea Piccardi documents the matristic praxis of Jineolojî as a tool for de-patriarchizing society.

The conversation also tackles the theoretical and practical nuances of this work, including Ana Cecilia Dinerstein’s philosophy of hope and the "multiversum," Francesca Forno and Stefan Wahlen’s exploration of the political potential of the mundane, and the "ecotopian" design methods of permaculture discussed by Laura Centemeri and Viviana Asara. We conclude with a critical look at the "five challenges" for prefiguration research posed by Erik Mygind du Plessis and Emil Husted, and a reflection on "process-time" versus "event-time" by Marianne Maeckelbergh. Joined by an Afterword from Davina Cooper, we ask: how can we prepare for the future by simply daring to live it today?

#PrefigurativePolitics #TheFutureIsNow #LaraMonticelli #ArturoEscobar #SocialMovements #Anarchism #Horizontalism #ConcreteUtopias #Auroville #Christiania #Rojava #RadicalImagination #SystemChange #PostCapitalism #Hope #Commoning #DavinaCooper #PaulRaekstad #AnaCeciliaDinerstein #Jineolojî

In this episode, we confront the unsettling reality of modern life: a world of "bullshit abundance." Drawing on the powerful insights of Kai Heron, Keir Milburn, and Bertie Russell from their book, "Radical Abundance: How to Win a Green Democratic Future," we explore why our current system delivers a surplus of things we don’t need—like microplastics in our blood, chronic traffic jams, and atmospheric CO2—while imposing an artificial scarcity on the things we actually require to flourish.

We dive into the authors' critique of the "derisking state," where public resources are used to underwrite the profits of rapacious asset management firms under the guise of a green transition. Moving beyond the "false choice" between neoliberal markets and top-down state management, we discuss the authors' radical alternative: the Public-Common Partnership (PCP). This isn't just another policy proposal; it's a "political wager" designed to ignite a self-expanding circuit of the commons.

The conversation travels through three critical sectors where these ideas are being put into practice. We look at the 20-year struggle to socialise urban development at Wards Corner in London, the fight for a "pharma commons" through La Pharmacie Populaire in France, and a speculative roadmap for transforming England’s council farms into beacons of agroecological food sovereignty. Join us as we discuss how to build "popular protagonism" and create "contested reproduction"—the essential building blocks for a future where we collectively govern our own lives and ecosystems.

#RadicalAbundance #KaiHeron #KeirMilburn #BertieRussell #PublicCommonPartnerships #TheCommons #PostCapitalism #GreenDemocraticFuture #PopularProtagonism #BullshitAbundance #UrbanPlanning #FoodSovereignty #PharmaCommons #SystemChange #Ecosocialism #ContestedReproduction

In this episode, we dive into the transformative work of scholar-practitioner Randal Joy Thompson and her book, "Proleptic Leadership on the Commons: Ushering in a New Global Order." While many modern social movements reject the concept of leadership as a relic of hierarchical and exploitative systems, Thompson argues that leadership—reimagined—is the essential force needed to animate the transition toward a post-capitalist society.

We explore the radical concept of proleptic leadership, where the future is given priority over the past and present. Thompson describes this as a "taking beforehand," where commoners act as if the future commons-centric order already exists, allowing that utopian vision to pull them through the chaos of the present. We discuss the psychological and social processes of "commoning"—including "we-ing," self-protagonising, and resonating self-and-society—and how these practices allow individuals to de-commodify themselves and live mindfully within a relational ontology.

From the "Second Enclosure Movement" to the "fractal panopticon" of market discipline, we examine how proleptic leaders navigate liminal spaces—the thresholds between a dying old world and an emerging new one. Join us as we discuss Thompson’s roadmap for building a "New Global Order" through Global Resonance, collective intelligence, and the creation of parallel infrastructures of care that render the state-market duopoly obsolete.

#ProlepticLeadership #TheCommons #RandalJoyThompson #Commoning #PostCapitalism #GlobalResonance #SocialTransformation #LiminalSpace #SystemsThinking #UsheringInTheNewOrder #EcoSynergy #CollectiveIntelligence #FutureOrientedLeadership #We-ing #SelfProtagonising #NewGlobalOrder