Post Capitalist Interstructure Defined
The weak signals pointing to what comes after the poly/metacrisis
In earlier posts, we introduced the term interstructure and we explored what the Capitalist Interstructure consists of (it’s complex).
The good news is that weak signals are emerging of what a Post Capitalist Interstructure might consist of. Weak signals are simply data points that indicate significant change could be underway. Scanning for weak signals of change is a technique for sensing events and trends that may evolve to have a significant impact on society.
The phrase Post Capitalist Interstructure helps us refer to the dynamic process of interaction between all the systems that are emerging in parallel to address the metacrisis experienced by today’s complex societies.
Some of the emerging signals, many of which are now well-defined and developed, include:
- Incentive and governance ecosystems based on principles found in Nature and Indigenous wisdom. These ecosystems reflect the values and priorities of the society that constructs and maintains them. Much work has already been done in defining new and emerging values that are based on cooperation, altruism, generosity, gifting, reciprocity, dialogue with the living world, solidarity, and interbeing.
- A health system that restores the vitality and resilience of the terrain (body, environment, food, water), rather than waging a war on viruses and dis-eases.
- A food system that supports localism, personal sovereignty and regeneration of the terroir.
- A carbohydrate energy system that relies not on renewables and hydrocarbons, but on the sun, as well as other forms of freely available electricity.
- An ecolegal system that prioritizes stewardship rather than ownership and is based on the principles of interdependence, diversity, and resilience.
- Lifelong alternative learning environments and values-based education.
- New origin stories and belief systems that underpin the entire interstructure and provide refreshing new answers to existential questions like, How did we get here and What is the purpose of life?
Table Comparing Capitalist and Post Capitalist Interstructure
The good news is that thousands — if not tens of thousands — of initiatives are actively addressing most of the elements listed above. The only work required now is to bring them all together into a Post Capitalist Interstructure.
This is where those who have reaped the benefits of the Capitalist Interstructure could play a meaningful role, by using capital to build post capitalist realities. Some are already starting to explore the spiritual and karmic consequences of their role in the system that determined our collective behavior that led to this point. Family offices are starting to make very uncomfortable forays into this unexplored territory.
This is the calling of our time: to facilitate transition pathways from capitalist interstructure to post capitalist interstructure.
