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Showing posts with the label maslow hierarchy

Capitalism is fated to be sad

Capitalism without discontentment is like Christianity without hell, if I may paraphrase Frank Borman. Discontentment is an integral part of the capitalist system because the system is stuck at the lowest levels of human aspirations. Psychologist Abraham Maslow arranged human aspirations in a pyramid-shaped continuum, ranging from the inferior needs which are largely focused on the body to the higher needs of the psyche, culminating in what one may call the soul. Most of us are familiar with Maslow’s pyramid. Nevertheless, let me present it below if only to remind us of certain details.  You will easily notice that capitalism is stuck at the lowest of Maslow’s hierarchy of aspirations. The most successful businesses of capitalism cater to our physical and simpler psychological needs. Oil and gas, mining, constructions, textile, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, electronics, telecommunications, insurance, banking… none of these touches those aspirations of ours that bring us deeper happ