Ravi Batra: Difference between revisions

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 === Social evolution ===
-The main thesis of the book was that the age of [[Law of Social Cycle|acquisitors]], better known as [[capitalism]], was soon to come to an end in the West. This dramatic change was to be followed by the downfall of the age of [[commander]]s in the [[Soviet Union]], more commonly known as [[communism]]. While his predictions for capitalism to collapse within a few decades due to rampant inequality and speculation have not come true, his prediction for the collapse of communism, due to inner stasis and oppression, arrived in 1990, sooner than expected. The key reason that capitalism, as a self-perpetuating social formation, was seen to be on an unsustainable path, was the relentless drive of acquisitors to acquire ever more capital. Over time, this activity was seen to gain momentum and result in financial [[Stock market bubble|booms]] and [[Stock market crash|busts]]. A [[Great Depression|depression]] would then follow and as it came on top of extreme inequality it would quickly bring [[wikt:chaos|social chaos]] and [[revolt]]. As anarchy was not a normal state of affairs, the class of military leaders would step in the breech and reestablish [[social order|order]] and thereby usher in a new age of "commanders". In this context, Batra reviews a prior such social change, which occurred two millennia ago, when the [[Roman Republic]] was transformed into the [[Roman Empire]]. At that time slave uprisings were common but were violently suppressed. This period became known as the [[Servile Wars]]. At the same time, the military was in ascendancy as the [[Roman Army]] continued to expand the empire. The pivotal figure in the development was the military leader, [[Julius Caesar]], who wrested control from the Senate by diluting its membership, but was in turn murdered by the disgruntled [[Roman Senate|Senators]]. The military class, led by his adopted son [[Augustus|Octavian]], cemented the new social order. Batra thinks such a scenario in the future will refocus the social motivity, away from acquisition of money to a mastery of technology and physical bravery including the conquest of [[Outer space|space]], heralding a new age of commanders in the [[Western world|West]]. These ideas contrast starkly with those of thinkers like [[Francis Fukuyama]] who argues in ''[[The End of History and the Last Man]]'' that capitalism, as it is based on [[democracy]] and [[Freedom (political)|freedom]], represents the pinnacle of human social development. For Fukuyama, the collapse of Soviet Communism could have been inevitable, but not that of Capitalism.
+The main thesis of the book was that the age of [[Law of Social Cycle|acquisitors]], better known as [[:wikipedia:capitalism]], was soon to come to an end in the West. This dramatic change was to be followed by the downfall of the age of [[:wikipedia:commander|commanders]] in the [[:wikipedia:Soviet Union|Soviet Union]], more commonly known as [[:wikipedia:communism|communism]]. While his predictions for capitalism to collapse within a few decades due to rampant inequality and speculation have not come true, his prediction for the collapse of communism, due to inner stasis and oppression, arrived in 1990, sooner than expected. The key reason that capitalism, as a self-perpetuating social formation, was seen to be on an unsustainable path, was the relentless drive of acquisitors to acquire ever more capital. Over time, this activity was seen to gain momentum and result in financial [[:wikipedia:Stock market bubble|booms]] and [[:wikipedia:Stock market crash|busts]]. A [[:wikipedia:Great Depression|depression]] would then follow and as it came on top of extreme inequality it would quickly bring [[:wikipedia:wikt:chaos|social chaos]] and [[:wikipedia:revolt|revolt]]. As anarchy was not a normal state of affairs, the class of military leaders would step in the breech and reestablish [[:wikipedia:social order|order]] and thereby usher in a new age of "commanders". In this context, Batra reviews a prior such social change, which occurred two millennia ago, when the [[:wikipedia:Roman Republic|Roman Republic]] was transformed into the [[:wikipedia:Roman Empire|Roman Empire]]. At that time slave uprisings were common but were violently suppressed. This period became known as the [[:wikipedia:Servile Wars|Servile Wars]]. At the same time, the military was in ascendancy as the [[:wikipedia:Roman Army|Roman Army]] continued to expand the empire. The pivotal figure in the development was the military leader, [[:wikipedia:Julius Caesar|Julius Caesar]], who wrested control from the Senate by diluting its membership, but was in turn murdered by the disgruntled [[:wikipedia:Roman Senate|Senators]]. The military class, led by his adopted son [[:wikipedia:Augustus|Octavian]], cemented the new social order. Batra thinks such a scenario in the future will refocus the social motivity, away from acquisition of money to a mastery of technology and physical bravery including the conquest of [[:wikipedia:Outer space|space]], heralding a new age of commanders in the [[:wikipedia:Western world|West]]. These ideas contrast starkly with those of thinkers like [[:wikipedia:Francis Fukuyama|Francis Fukuyama]] who argues in ''[[:wikipedia:The End of History and the Last Man|The End of History and the Last Man]]'' that capitalism, as it is based on [[:wikipedia:democracy|democracy]] and [[:wikipedia:Freedom (political)|freedom]], represents the pinnacle of human social development. For Fukuyama, the collapse of Soviet Communism could have been inevitable, but not that of Capitalism.
 == Bestsellers ==