Big Ideas: Jeremy Rifkin and the internet of everything
Now and then we like explore some of the big ideas changing our world.
Like the so-called “internet of everything.”
In 2014, it’s fair to say that most of us think of capitalism as one of the planet’s default economic systems. Markets around the world are interconnected, and even communist countries like China buy and sell internationally.
Jeremy Rifkin is one of the people behind our big idea this week, and he argues that capitalism is, in effect, eating itself. That, thanks to the internet, we’ve gotten so good at making things cheaply, that everyone can.
Rifkin is an economic theorist who has advised the European Union, and he lays out those ideas his latest book is called the “Zero Marginal Cost Society,” which is, he explains,
“The emergence of a news economic system called the ‘collaborative commons.’ This is actually the first new economic system to emerge since the advent of capitalism and socialism.”
On profit motive:
“There’s another whole institution that everyone on this planet relies on every day. It’s called ‘the social economy…’ we have millions of organizations that provide all sorts of goods and service from health care to school systems…they’re not considered by economists because they create social capital, not market captial.”
Listen to the full innterview in the player above.
Stories You Might Like
There’s a lot happening in the world. Through it all, Marketplace is here for you.
You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible.
Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.
