Introduction
This article analyzes Joseph Schumpeter's thesis on the self-destructive nature of capitalism. You will learn how creative destruction undermines the system's foundations and why economic success leads to a civilizational shift. We examine the role of artificial general intelligence (AGI) as an accelerator of these changes and explore various adaptation models—from the American neo-oligopoly to the European participatory economy.
The Success of Capitalism: The Decline of the Entrepreneurial Function
The Schumpeterian paradox posits that capitalism perishes because of its own successes. The system's efficiency has routinized innovation, replacing the heroic entrepreneur with bureaucratic teams of specialists.
Creative Destruction Shatters Bourgeois Institutions
The logic of constant change strikes at the normative foundation: private property and class prestige. The system destroys the world where the entrepreneurial ethos was "self-evident."
Bureaucracy Paves the Way for Socialism
Schumpeter considered socialism to be economically feasible. Central planning can simulate the price mechanism, eliminating the waste of business cycles and oligopolies.
Proceduralism: Democracy as a Political Market
Democracy is merely a method for selecting leaders in the struggle for votes. The "will of the people" is a construct manufactured by elites rather than a rational pursuit of the common good.
Schumpeter vs. Marx: A Sociological Vision of Collapse
Schumpeter drew from Marx the vision of the historical variability of modes of production. However, he rejected the theory of exploitation, pointing out that capitalism collapses due to rationalization, not the misery of the masses.
Intellectuals: The Engine of Capitalist Delegitimization
The education system creates a class of intellectuals who, bearing no responsibility for the economy, professionally question and deconstruct the narratives that legitimize the market order.
AI: Automating the Process of Creative Destruction
Artificial intelligence is a general-purpose technology that intensifies Schumpeterian dynamics, redefining business models and competitive paradigms on a global scale.
USA, UE, and Arab Countries: Three Models of AI Development
Regions differ in their approach: the USA focuses on the market, the EU on ethical regulations, and Arab countries on state-led modernization projects funded by natural resources.
Big Tech: The North American Data Neo-Oligopoly
In the US, AGI favors the concentration of power. A neo-oligopoly is emerging, where a few corporations control key data resources and computing infrastructure.
Ordosocialism: The European Participation Model
Europe strives for an inclusive economy. It combines innovation with data protection and the dignity of labor, treating AGI as a piece of public infrastructure subject to oversight.
Asian Capitalism: AGI in State Planning
Asian models utilize AGI as an instrument of geopolitical strategy and internal control, where the state designs technological trajectories and manages development.
Schumpeter, Kalecki, Mączyńska: A New Synthesis of Thought
The modern era requires combining creative destruction with Kaleckian concerns for demand and Mączyńska’s ideal of a participatory economy, infused with an axiological dimension.
AGI: A New Infrastructure for Market Coordination
AGI can take over the coordination functions of both the market and the state, simulating the effects of decisions in real-time, which allows for precise management of global demand.
Algorithmization Destroys Autonomy and Professional Ethos
Widespread algorithmization carries the risk of de-skilling. If AI replaces human thinking instead of augmenting it, an erosion of competence and responsibility within the professional class will occur.
Full Employment Under Conditions of Innovation
Maintaining full employment requires a democratically controlled AGI architecture that supports the selection of innovations without destroying social stability and purchasing power.
Summary
In a world of algorithmic coordination, can efficiency be reconciled with the dignity of labor? Creative destruction may prove to be a force too powerful to harness without a new institutional order. We face a critical question: will we become the architects of this future, or merely pawns in a game controlled by algorithms? The success of capitalism necessitates its own transcendence.
📄 Full analysis available in PDF