I have some problems with the Forbes article.
The claim that capitalism “has failed to improve human well-being at scale.” is not supported by evidence just assumed. I agree it has provided great wealth for some and that the distribution of the growth of wealth has been greatly skewed towards the top end but all have benefited to some degree.
Also the claim that capitalism is the reason for huge environmental damage does not pass even quick scrutiny, the centralised control economies have all had pollution problems, loss of species and environmental damage. The problem is with governments of all kinds in that they favour the short term over the long and growth over almost everything else. It isn’t just capitalist societies who have millions saying to their masters that they want more now and as long as you do it we care little how. The principle of intergenerational equity is breached more than honoured around the world.
Back to the checkout. Once people of modest ability were farm labourers, then they were mill workers, then on the production line, lately at call centres and the checkout. What next? Is there any next? The assumption that because new jobs have been continually created to replace old over the last 200 years then this will always be true in the future only needs to be wrong once. There is a distinct parallel with the assumption that limitless growth has always been possible and desirable in the past and therefore it will be in the future.
