A lot of things provide value while lying outside of the capitalist system. A lake, for example, before it is heavily developed, has natural beauty. Nobody pays each other to establish a stake or a right to the beauty of the lake; it just exists. Maybe there is a government program to manage it, but regardless, the lake lies outside of capital interests. Until suddenly these two systems encounter each other, and a price is put on the beauty of the lake. Suddenly things take on a monetary value. This can radically transform the way in which people interact with the lake.
But this effect exists everywhere. I don’t pay my neighbors to maintain their gardens, but I enjoy them. I don’t pay for the companionship of my family and friends. And my company doesn’t directly pay me to develop real expertise-- until it becomes a rarity, something to be bought and sold and valued monetarily.
A lot of things provide value while lying outside of the capitalist system. A lake, for example, before it is heavily developed, has natural beauty. Nobody pays each other to establish a stake or a right to the beauty of the lake; it just exists. Maybe there is a government program to manage it, but regardless, the lake lies outside of capital interests. Until suddenly these two systems encounter each other, and a price is put on the beauty of the lake. Suddenly things take on a monetary value. This can radically transform the way in which people interact with the lake.
But this effect exists everywhere. I don’t pay my neighbors to maintain their gardens, but I enjoy them. I don’t pay for the companionship of my family and friends. And my company doesn’t directly pay me to develop real expertise-- until it becomes a rarity, something to be bought and sold and valued monetarily.