This is a niche topic and I’m not sure this is the right community. Let’s say we start to move on to a society less focused on capital. Not perfect but on the way there. There are still companies and there is an overall economy running around small businesses. How would a small business get started without access to “capital”? What are the alternatives?
This is a very good discussion topic. I think it fits here just fine. My comment is kind of a definitional quibble, but I think the point is relevant to your last questions.
Capital of some kind is absolutely needed - by definition - to start any enterprise under any system you can name. Capital is surplus value from labor. If your labor doesn’t produce any excess value beyond your mere survival, you have no capital. If every waking moment is spent securing what you need to survive another day, well you are completely bereft of any significant capital. However, if you can satisfy your needs and get adequate rest and still have some time left in a typical week? That free time is a form of capital. Money is also a form of capital, but my point is it is more than just money.
If I understand what you mean, I would suggest that a more expansive definition of what constitutes ‘capital’ is what many small businesses need. Capital is so much more than money. When you don’t have money, you have to be extra clever. Any idiot can get their rich dad to write a check. The real genius is in figuring out how to grow a small pile of capital into a bigger pile without having a lot of cash.
For instance, say I have two free afternoons a week where I don’t have to work to survive. That is a form of capital. I could use that time to work on my business.
I don’t strive to eliminate reliance on ‘capital’ because capital is value-neutral. ‘Capital’ is just the name we give to the fruits of labor. It’s the capital-ists who hoard a disproportionate share of the capital we all produce by our collective labor, these guys are the problem, not the monetary wealth, infrastructure and free time that capital produces. Fuck capitalists and fuck those who elevate them to such a privileged position. Capital is ok by me, though. I want more of it, mostly in the form of my own free time. A bit of money helps too, but part of the sickness in our global culture is the thinking that the only form of capital that counts is money.
So to sum up, I’d say the alternative we need is an alternative to capitalism, not an alternative to capital. Capital comes in alternate forms beyond cash money and we all have at least a little capital we might be able to leverage. Creativity is key.
That’s a good point. Capital is surplus value which can have multiple forms. I see what you mean creativity and I agree. If the whole could think like this we could start to build something like a post capitalist society without actual parting with capital. Thank you for your comment!