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Quote by Immanuel Wallerstein

“The very concept of universal formal education is a product (and a relatively late product) of the capitalist world-economy.”

Quote by Immanuel Wallerstein

Book:Capistalist Civilisation

Work

Capistalist Civilisation

This book delves into the intricacies of a civilization driven by capitalist principles, examining its economic structures, social dynamics, and the impact of capitalism on various aspects of life within this civilization. more

Author

Immanuel Wallerstein

Immanuel Wallerstein is a renowned American sociologist known for his contributions to world-systems theory. His research focuses on globalization and international relations, profoundly influencing the understanding of the modern world order. more

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“The basic question that the 'new science' raises for our balance sheet is the issue of what scientific questions have not been asked for 500 years, which scientific risks have not been pursued. It raises the question of who has decided what scientific risks were worth taking, and what have been the consequences in terms of the power structures of the world.”

World Years Has Beens Term Issues Risk Balance Capitalism Consequence Decided Raises Structure Sheets Pursued Balance Sheets

Author:Immanuel Wallerstein

“What is different in capitalist civilization has been two things. First, the process of meritocracy has been proclaimed as an official virtue instead of being merely a de facto reality. The culture has been different. And secondly, the percentage of the world's population for whom such ascent was possible has gone up. But even though it has grown up, meritocratic ascent remains very much the attribute of a minority.”

“It seems to me the only pertinent question is: cui bono? It is clear that the size of the privileged strata as a percentage of the whole has grown significantly under historical capitalism. And for these people, the world they know is better on the whole than any their earlier counterparts knew.”

People Knows World Whole Seems Clear Capitalism Historical Size Privileged Percentages Counterparts Pertinent Pertinent Questions

Book:Capistalist Civilisation

Source: Capistalist Civilisation

“For the other end of the spectrum, the 50 to 85 percent of the world's population who are not the recipients of privilege, the world they know is almost certainly worse than any their earlier counterparts knew. It is likely they are worse off materially, despite the technological changes. In substantive as opposed to formal terms, they are more, not less, subject to arbitrary constraints, since the central mechanisms are more pervasive and more efficient. And they bear the brunt of the various kinds of psychic malaise, as well as of the destructiveness of civil wars.”

“It was the French Revolution that served as the catalyst of this renovation. Its impact was to make the concept of popular sovereignty the new moral justification for the political system of historical capitalism.”

Political Moral Revolution Concepts Capitalism Impact Historical Justification Sovereignty Political Systems Catalyst French Revolution Renovation Popular Sovereignty

Book:Capistalist Civilisation

Source: Capistalist Civilisation

“The mode of reconciling the promise of ever-increasing reward for the cadres and the demands of the working classes for a quid pro quo for their loyalty to the state was to offer the latter a small piece of the pie.”

States Class Pieces Promise Offers Demand Capitalism Rewards Loyalty Latter Pie Working Class Small Pieces Cadre Quid Pro Quo

Author:Immanuel Wallerstein

“If we return to the two faces of individualism - individualism as the spur of energy, initiative, and imagination; and individualism as the limitless struggle of all against all - it can be seen how the two practices emerge from and limit the extend of the disequilibrating impact of the contradiction involved in the geocultural agenda.”

Ifs Two Faces Energy Imagination Practice Struggle Return Involved Limits Capitalism Impact Contradiction Agendas Individualism Initiative Limitless Spurs

Author:Immanuel Wallerstein

“This argument has been codified in the twentieth century as meritocracy, in which those on top in the process of capitalist accumulation have merited their position.”

Has Beens Process Century Position Capitalism Argument Capitalist Twentieth Century Accumulation Meritocracy

Book:Capistalist Civilisation

Source: Capistalist Civilisation

“The way in which these two practices contain each other is that it has always been possible to use the one against the other: to use racism-sexism to prevent universalism from moving too far in the direction of egalitarianism; to use universalism to prevent racism-sexism from moving too far in the direction of a caste system that would inhibit the work force mobility so necessary for the capitalist accumulation process.”

Way Two Use Moving Force Process Practice Racism Capitalism Sexism Capitalist Accumulation Castes Mobility Egalitarianism Caste System Universalism

Author:Immanuel Wallerstein

“When systems come to be far from points of equilibrium, they reach bifurcation points, wherein multiple, as opposed to unique, solutions, to instability become possible.”

Unique Solutions Capitalism Multiple Equilibrium Instability Bifurcation

Author:Immanuel Wallerstein