Finance Minister Fernando Haddad said he believes that humanity will not stand still in the face of the rise of the extreme right. The statement took place during the launch of his book “Superindustrial Capitalism – diverse paths, common destiny”, this Saturday morning (7), in São Paulo.
To loud applause, the minister stated that his new book is more optimistic than his previous one, written in the 1990s, in which he predicted the crisis of neoliberalism, the lack of response from the left and the rise of the extreme right.
— Why is this book more optimistic? Because the far right has already risen. And I don’t believe that humanity will stand still. So, it is an optimism mitigated by a hope that we will mobilize against the extreme right and do something useful with our lives – said the minister.
Opportunity with security!
Haddad said the reason he entered politics was to “find paths” to a better society and not to “get along with everyone.”
In front of a full audience, Haddad joked that it is not recommended for a minister to write this book, which thinks about the foundations of capitalism as a way of providing better living conditions for the population and emancipating individuals.
— The more power you accumulate, the further away you become from this type of matter. You may notice, it is natural for you to seek protection. There are so many blows: from the left, right, from above, below and from within. So it is not recommended. But it is not recommended for a person who did not enter politics with my commitments. So I wouldn’t be able to leave this position without publishing this book, because the reason you get into politics is to try to find ways. It’s not getting along with everyone. It does not give. Even more so in a country like Brazil — said the minister.
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The launch took place at Sesc 14 Bis, in the capital, and included a chat with political scientist Celso Rocha de Barros, mediated by historian and anthropologist Lilia Schwarcz.
The book
The work reviews the minister’s master’s and doctoral studies, carried out in the 1980s and 1990s, to develop and update ideas about the primitive accumulation of capital on the periphery of capitalism. The book is published by Zahar, an imprint of Companhia das Letras focused on human and social sciences.
The minister, who is also a professor in the Department of Political Science at FFLCH-USP, confronts the idea of super-industrial capitalism with contemporary aspects of progressive thought, such as the theories of cognitive capitalism and techno-feudalism.
The central argument is the paths chosen by each nation to reach modern capitalism and the challenges posed by the rise of China as a global power. The author addresses topics such as the primitive accumulation of capital on the periphery of capitalism, the incorporation of knowledge as a factor of production and new class configurations.
