Why Don't People like Capitalism? | Alain de Botton | Google Zeitgeist

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[daanspore]

I love Alain de Botton's writing but every time he says a company is trying to "fix a deep psychological need" what he is actually saying is "monetise deep philosophical needs" and that is terrifying to me.

[vidividivicious]

a lot of people there have a face of "this is not what i signed up for"

[algoritmocaliente]

so, monetize the higher needs will bring us a brighter future? sounds for me more like a nightmare.

[flurojello]

can't wait for that moment when i can call kelloggs in the morning for some emotional support before i start the day

[tomgeorgearts]

If he thinks facebook is an example of modern capitalism solving our psychological needs he obviously hasn't used it. Social media is a disaster for mental health.

[raptormancro]

He missed the whole point. You can't sell human experience, the higher needs. Those need to be experienced, be genuine. People don't hate capitalism because they are not as happy as the people they saw in an add. Or how many different things you can buy. They could be hating it because maybe they can't afford the necessities, they can't experience genuine human needs because they are overworked or worried about how they are going to get those basic ones. The problem of capitalism is not how it treats it's customers, but how it treats it's workers.

[amulyamishra]

This is what happens when you go to Dragon School, Harrow, and Cambridge.... You don't actually know most of the common people...no matter how good your intentions are.

[alejandromartin]

Facebook is not to combat loneliness but for public exhibition (showing off). The bonfire of vanities.

[diegovideco]

Totally misses the point, that's for sure not why people dislike capitalism.
What about exploitation, lack of social responsibility, wealth accumulation, hyper-consumerism, environmental destruction...? He's just helping big business feel good about themselves.

[muiresuilgorm]

I have difficulties getting past the fact that he is independently wealthy. I suppose that is how he was able to spend so much time reading, thinking philosophising, which I would love to do, but as a 'worker ' have to spend most of my time slaving and recovering from said slaving.

[Wanderer-lh]

Isn't he adorable. I could listen to him for hours. Also what great sense of humor.

[doubletime]

This video somehow made me more anti-capitalist

[KampGallery]

1. I enjoy reading the comments of others. It's clear De Botton has touched a nerve and the response is thoughtful and considerate (by and large). My own two bits: Everything Capitalism builds crumbles, rotts, dissipates, (ages or becomes dated) breaks down or is consumed (and then pooped!). But that's true of all our products no matter what system produces them. The point being, things can't fill the hole in your soul but having basic needs met is a pre-requisite for living a satisfying life. The work we do must produce that much: provide a basic but good quality of habitat, food, education (culture), HEALTH CARE, clothing. Then we can give ourselves the "extras": snowmobiles, infinity pools, second and third homes, a luxury car for each member of the family! Right? Oh, have I missed something? Like how are we supposed to get those "extras" when we're still paying for the very basics? Oh well, THAT'S WHY PEOPLE HATE CAPITALISM.

[annemurat]

I wonder if Alain de Botton knows Edward Bernays, Freud's nephew (check out Adam Curtis' masterpiece : "Century of the Self). But listening to him praising capitalism as a white knight, capable of addressing peoples' higher needs and fulfilling global happiness, I can't help but think there might be a flaw in the way psychology is serving its original purpose (to free the mind, not to enslave it to big business). Same for philosophy actually, would Aristotle be happy about this 2015 sales agent carrier?

[martinmcbennett]

Sorry Alain, you completely lost me when describing air b n b . Satisfying the travel needs of the more affluent whilst further commidfying life for everybody is not a wisdom journey .

[libellulemusic]

I do appreciate Alain's push for a better world. But I think he is mixing things that don't work together. First, that there is a clear dichotomy between what capitalism does that would be to serve the material and physical world and the need for a more spiritual and emotional understanding of the world. Capitalism by design is made to create more needs that we actually already have. Spiritual and emotional intelligence is about having fewer needs and rather a better focus on the important things in life. I think we should go the opposite way, have fewer machines helping us create relationships and more real world talking and hanging out. The same example he made can be used as an argument: Facebook. It was built to make us closer and happier when actually it hasn't changed anything, in fact, it has probably made things worse. By design, capitalism is about the individual, and this makes us feel more lonely. Instead of having machines trying to tell us how to be happy. I think we need a new spiritual and cultural reference that is separate from religions, but that has its same objectives (how to live a happy and purposeful life). As Nice one said "God is dead" and that is true, spirituality is dead, and capitalism has replaced it. Yes, machines can help us with making things easier. But they just cannot solve the problem of us having breakfast and fighting with our spouse or us having an unhappy travel. That is up to us, our perspective and approach on life. This has to be embedded in our culture and upbringing. Capitalism can numb the pain for a while but can't solve the underlying contradictions of human nature. In fact, often by numbing them they grow and end up making the problem bigger than when it started.

[bolivar]

Tatjana P. Rava,
Long after you and I  are dead, buried and forgotten,   Alain de Botton will be remembered by millions of people with so much love and gratitude for all his books, his schools all around the world, his documentaries, his wonderful lessons on TSOL channel,   the houses he had arranged to build through Living Architecture Project, for The Book of Life and The Philosophers Mail and above all, for being such an incredibly kind and loving person who feels himself "responsible" for the well being of the entire humanity. It is unbelievable that one single person could manage all this in one life time, helping so many people to lead better lives.
So do you really honestly think that such an incredibly intelligent man would choose "philosophy" to become rich and famous??? 
Even though I find it very sad, I got used to see especially men attacking him very disrespectfully, because of ENVY obviously. But this is the first time I saw a woman being so incredibly unfair, so shallow and truly malicious by judging his work this way. Obviously you know nothing about this man and if you did, your life would be a much better life.
The way you comment says much more about you than about Alain de Botton. Frankly I think you really should be terribly ashamed of yourself.

[magnusmandel]

The reason I don't like capitalism is not that a bar of soap didn't fix my relationship and capitalism "sucking out my energies", but rather that capitalists rob us workers of our surplus value each and everyday and call that profit. That's the main thing. But there's loads more. For example everything becoming commodified, exploitation of natural resources and therefore of the environment. Capitalism has existed for a few hundred years at best and is now causing an extinction event on such a scale that it is going to eradicate all of humanity in just a couple of decades. But rich people are siding with fascist climate deniers, cause that's more profitable.

Now go ahead please and tell me why we accept that.

[nataliaaguilar]

People are not consumers. We are producers, composers, selective learners punished by hoarders and conditioned bureaucrats. Profiteers will relabel, repackage anything only to comply with their shareholders insatiable need to make a return. Philosophy is the intersection of humanism and our universe, its not a religion.
To be forgotten is not the same as to be erased, economy theorists seem to have a automatic "Delete" button when it comes to wrong doing or criminal behavior.
The real wealth; clean air, water, land and biodiversity has been exploited in the name of business. Perhaps honesty, trust and kinship are the intangible but priceless commodity we all yearn for.

[jackwheeler]

21:19 Is that Steve Hawking in the background?