After Capitalism: Prout's Vision for a New World

by Dada Maheshvarananda

After Capitalism: Prout’s Vision for a New World sheds light on the Progressive Utilization Theory, or Prout, a socio-economic model based on decentralized economic democracy, cooperative enterprise... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1877762067
• ISBN13: 9781877762062
• Release Date: January 2003
• Publisher: Proutist Universal Publications
• Length: 247 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.

Customer Reviews

A Wealth of Information and Ideas

The most important contribution of this book is that it presents an alternative to the free market economy we have taken for granted. Especially after the fall of communism, most people have taken capitalism as the given order of life instead of seeing it for what it really is: An economic system that is dominant at a given point of time. 'After Capitalism' shows us that there are alternative ideas out there, and presents those ideas with force and power, backed up by support of some of the most powerful alternative thinkers of our age, such as Noam Chomsky, P.R. Sarkar and Johan Galtung.Whether you are a staunch free market supporter or a member of the anti-globalisation movement, this book is important for any person who seriously wants to analyse the issues at hand.If you are a free market supporter, you will find that 'the other' view is actually based on well founded facts and rational ideas, and not just on thoughtless rebellion without a proper ideology. If you do not understand people of different views, it is hard to argue with them!If you are already critical to the current economic system, you will find here a wealth of information and theories to shape your thoughts and ideas and discover alternatives to the present system.In either case, it is an important book that I strongly recommend that everyone interested in the current state of the world should read.

Just what the world needs

It doesn't take too much investigation to see that capitalism isn't working. Some may talk about the positive effects of the capitalist paradigm, but the negatives are far greater, and continue to grow in number. People talk about the problem, and offer partial solutions. To my mind, "After Capitalism" provides accurate insight into the predicament of human society in the 21st century. It also gives the reader a glimpse of a new socio-economic system (PROUT - Progressive Utilisation Theory), that has the collective welfare of humanity,and the planet as its central focus. What I found truly inspiring reading Dada Maheshvararanda's book, were the numerous examples of "Prout in action" all around the world. This is the living proof that an alternative to capitalism is not only a possibility, but an inevitability.

The best book I've read in ages!

I have been really inspired by reading this book. It offers such a clear vision of how society could be structured in a way that reflects the highest ideals of humanity. I think this book and the model of 'Prout' that it describes will go down in history as one of the most important contributions to society! This book is for all those people who want to lead society out of the mess it's in toward a society based on working collectively for the common good of all.

After Capitalism is inspiring

Poverty, inequality, repression, ecological devastation, on and on. We've become accustomed to living with long-standing problems that defy solutions. It should be apparent that current systems are simply not serving us. We need to start "thinking outside the box".Dada Maheshvarananda has taken that step in this book, in which he outlines the visionary social and economic theories collectively known as Prout, from the Indian thinker P.R. Sarkar. What makes this book stand out among previous expositions of Sarkarian thought is its thoroughness and how deftly the theories are related to current social problems and conflictsProut is a wide-ranging theory that includes a new understanding of historical evolution. It proposes practical systems to achieve a free and just society that fosters the potentialities of all human beings through economic democracy, cooperative-based enterprises, limits to inequality, and respect for diverse cultures as well as the natural world.

toward a new Vision of society

There are many futurists and futurist books critiquing the excesses and failures of Capitalism and Communism. Most thinkers and most philosophers are unable or unwilling to express an alternative socio-economic vision which deviates too much from orthodox notions of both of these ways of forming society and the world. Indeed, many who are weary of the incredible failures of Capitalism in providing a sustainable, livable world for the benefit of the majority of the people of the planet contemplate the old theories of Karl Marx, those of Anarchism, or other models of socialism since there haven't been developed any other major practical alternatives...until now. "After Capitalism" introduces a new theory of Prout, as a progressive, rational, and inspired vision of how our economic life could be while offering practical solutions which may be able to avoid the conflicts and contradictions with Capitalism and Communism. Within this book one finds out that a Proutist society presumes a spiritual base, a spiritual understanding of human beings and their relation to the world. It is from this vision that the economic aspect and theory of Prout springs. The Progressive Utilization Theory-- of which "Prout" is the acronym-- has at its base a spiritual understanding of Humankind having notions of a universal family of men and women, and also all human beings with all entities of the natural world. The implications of this are immense and, perhaps, hard to appreciate in a materialistic culture. But the logic of such a world view flows easily and naturally. For instance, for revolutionary spiritual moralists--called in this book, "sadvipras" (ideal intellectuals)--,ones who view all men and women as fundamentally brothers and sisters, it becomes extremely difficult to recognize why one class or group of people should be allowed to exploit others mercilessly in the economic, political, or any other realm. By the same token, if animals and plants and the environment of the world have existential value greater than their mere utility value for human beings' selfish whims and wishes, moral people and activists cannot accept unsustainable destruction of the environment threatening ecological balance, and eventually perhaps even the survival of the species. This view is in direct tension with the yardstick of evaluating the world in terms of profits and "costs" to business interests. Needless to say "After Capitalism" is a radical departure from books concerning conventional theories and philosophies which make property and wealth accumulation the most important value of the society, or theories which describe human beings only in their physical aspect, as crude matter. The crux of the material offers practical solutions and suggestions based upon Prout's principles and theories, and also gives living examples of how and where some of these initiatives are taking place. It only briefly deals with a critique of Capitalism and examples of its prob