Capital, Science, Technology

The Development of Productive Forces in Contemporary Capitalism [such as the Silicon Valley Imperial System]

Raúl Delgado Wise and Mateo Crossa Niell

Understanding the way in which contemporary capitalism—which Samir Amin insightfully characterised as the era of generalised monopolies—organises productive forces is crucial to grasping both the forms of domination defining imperialism today and the profound metamorphoses that monopoly capital has undergone during the last three decades.

The concept of general intellect, put forward by Karl Marx, is a useful starting point for the exploration of the organisation of productive forces. Let us take the example of one of the most “advanced” innovation systems today: Silicon Valley’s Imperial System. Our analysis seeks not only to reveal the profound contradictions of capitalist modernity, but also to highlight the significant transmutation that today’s monopoly capital is undergoing. Far from acting as a driving force for the development of social productive forces, it has become a parasitic entity with an essentially rentier and speculative function. Underlying this is an institutional framework that favours the private appropriation and the concentration of the products of general intellect.

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