Modern capitalism has evolved over time from satisfying basic biological needs to prioritizing social needs and power, to a focus on signification and meaning-making in contemporary consumerism. Capitalism mirrors the dominant social institutions that came before it, such as the authoritarian Roman Catholic Church in Western Europe. It promotes participation, hope, and the promise of affluence through hard work. In modern capitalism, money has become a signifier of wealth and price, labor and products are assigned meanings, and consumption defines social belonging. However, this system also creates inequalities and its future direction remains uncertain amid clashes between decentralized micro and centralized macro forms of capitalism.

1. Understanding
Modern CAPITALISM.
Ronny Julius C Verlet

2. Modern CAPITALISM.
What is Capitalism?
The views on what Capitalism is, have followed the evolution
in man’s needs and the ways he tried to satisfy his wishes.
So far we witnessed a shift of preoccupation from a
Biological man.
Political -Economic man.
Philological man of Languages.
Ref. Sheridan Alan, Foucault Michel (1980): The Will to Truth.

3. Modern CAPITALISM.
In each of these modes of development, we
can distinguish the usage of
MENTAL TOOLS s.a MOTIVES
ACTIONS
MANAGEMENT
PHYSICAL TOOLS

4. Modern CAPITALISM
according the tools used we categorize: .
The BIOLOGICAL human who follows an EVOLUTIONARY path by
satisfying his basic needs in line with his instincts for survival ,
multiplication and species dominance. [ motives].
He does this by obeying NORMS. [social, ethical]
and by applying the tool of PROCESS Management.[e.g. Seasonal]
The physical TOOLS are simple and personally linked.
These are the main drivers of a Capitalism being named as
Agrarian Capitalism, Mercantilism and pre-Industrial
Capitalism.

5. Modern CAPITALISM.
Mental Tools are motives, actions, management
and the Physical Tools.
Political - Economic man.
The needs are more than physical requirements, social needs as
recognition, control and power appear.
The creation of RULES and the Obedience of the rules are the focus
actions. [ mass manufacturing, labour as a commodity]
The skills of CONFLICT management are critical. [ unions, supply-demand ]
The PHYSICAL TOOLS are reproduced and organised for more output.
Industrial Capitalism, Globalisation, Keynesianism and Neo-Liberalism are
the frames for the Economic theories referring to this phase of economic
development.

6. Modern CAPITALISM.
Philological man of Languages.
After the previous needs have been satisfied, priority goes to
SIGNIFICATION and fitting all economic elements into SYSTEMS
that make sense and can be managed .
The dominant skill becomes ADAPTATION.
COMMUNICATION is the new Management tool as Meaning needs
explanation.
The PHYSICAL TOOLS are concentrated in Ownership.
The new terms in the economic models are:
Industrial Capitalism, Corporations, Institutions, free
Market, MEDIA and CONSUMERISM.
The key term becomes MEANING.

7. Modern CAPITALISM
The new era of SIGNIFICATION.
Everything in the Capitalist Cycle has to acquire and manage
Meaning in support of the Capitalist System.
CONSUMPTION is the endless moving meaning.
creativity creativity creativity
the Media becomes the creative tool.

8. Modern CAPITALISM.
Also SIGNIFICATION evolves over time.
Out of Signification is born Language.
Before the Industrial time, was Signification the primary driver in Society.
Middle Ages were dominated by Religion , and it’s Institutes and Ritual
obligations.
With the Industrial era came valuation and signification of the Material
needs.
After satisfying the material needs come the intellectual and Mental
signification under the topics of
Knowledge, Mental health and Entertainment .

9. Modern CAPITALISM
Why became Capitalism so dominant?
- other socio-economic systems have flourished over time and places
like Asia, the America’s.
- the Signification by Religion can be realised in many ways what
created the differences between religions.
- Christianity in the West has filled in Signification in a particular way.
On top of it has the Roman Catholic Church Western Europe
dominated before Industrial Age, as a dogmatic dictatorial regime.
- Capitalism is a mirror of that regime, that’s why Capitalism
got so easily adapted and absorbed by the masses.
- Wealth is NOT based on goods; wealth is based on human
exchange.
Jean Baudrillard

10. Modern CAPITALISM
Christian Religion.
GOD
Hope
Justice
Love
Salvation
Follow my Commandments.
Live a Correct life.
You shall serve ONE God !
You are equals in my eyes
when you join.
Save the souls of the infidel.
My promise: eternal life and
happiness after death.
Akoi Tetsuo

11. Modern CAPITALISM
Capitalism
Hope
Justice
Love
Salvation
Belonging
- Participate or perish.
- Subject yourself
and I promise:
affluence & happiness.
- Work hard and you
will be rewarded
the Paradise of
becoming a Capitalist
too.

12. Modern CAPITALISM
The Capitalist cycle and its drivers.
M Money is a key SIGNIFIER
Intellect and Entrepreneurship make use of money.
Many elements get Signification in the concept of
CAPITAL which contains: Money, People,
Machines, Customers, Markets, Brands.
... which creates more Money
and Money Markets.

13. Modern CAPITALISM.
Capitalism is a cooperation between people as Labourers, as Entrepreneurs,
Tools, Machinery, Raw Materials, Intellectual Property, Brands, Markets,
Products, and Services.

14. Modern CAPITALISM
Understanding Capitalism.
There is some in the way Money is made in the
Capitalist cycle.
There is a shift in Modern Capitalism of the Signification of the
Capital elements of
LABOUR, MONEY and the End PRODUCT / SERVICE.
what results in major Socio-Economic shifts as we witness
in the current era of Consumerism.

15. Modern CAPITALISM.
What is MONEY ?
Money is a medium of exchange, a unit of account, a store of
value. [Wikipedia]
Money is the Key SIGNIFIER of WEALTH.
Wealth reflects the components of Capital what
makes Money a Signifier of exchangeable Wealth.
The Exchange of Wealth becomes in this way a
soci socio-economic activity.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP and CREATIVITY
are the key skills in Industrial capitalism.
In the Capitalism of Consumption MONEY BECOMES PRICE.

16. Modern CAPITALISM
The Magic. In the Pre-Industrial Capitalism is the valuation of Labour in
the end product the sum of individual Labour Inputs.
The introduction of automation and mechanisation has increased
this value in the end product and decreased the quantity of
labour needed.
valuation
Labour = 1
valuation
Labour > 1

17. Modern CAPITALISM
Another characteristic since the Industrial Capitalism is the trend to minimize
the valuation of the Input: Labour and [Raw] Materials, and maximize
the valuation of the output PRODUCT.
The valuation of the Labour component in the end
Product, means that the Capitalist is employing
Labour that can create wealth in the end product.
The same is true for the use of raw materials.
There is a transcendence of material. The
Signification of the material in the end product
is higher than the input.
The glass bottle Chanel Nr 5 filled with the
perfume has a higher appreciation/signification
than the glass bottle at the input of the filling
machine.

18. Modern CAPITALISM.
It all becomes a matter of SIGNIFICATION.
Example: THE LABORER
. As a BIOLOGICAL MAN, he needs a job to survive and to PARTICIPATE in Society
[be someone], of course, conform to social norms and he/she has to Execute the
processes of participation in Labor and in Society.
. As a POLITICAL MAN, he/she has to make choices such as Employer, Family, and
Manage the conflicts between job, family, and society.
. As a PHILOLOGICAL MAN the labourer needs to become a valued employee who
belongs to a Corporation, an Institute, a Brand and he/she should show the
Culture of the Organisation and communicate the values throughout personal
lifestyle, networks and career planning.
In this way has the Labourer becomes a SIGN which
communicates Values .

19. Modern CAPITALISM.
The Signification of the Labourer .
past
now

20. Modern CAPITALISM.
It all becomes a matter of SIGNIFICATION.
Example: The RAW MATERIALS.
Raw Materials are mentioned on the final product [mostly
a legal requirement] with the LABELS of biological, low fat, selected, country of
origin [ coffee from XYZ, line fished, etc.] .
The TOOLS, EQUIPEMENT.
Also here the end product is LABELED with tags like
Belgian Chocolate, German engineering, ecological
processed etc.
The equipment is no longer visible in the Capitalist
Process: is has been subcontracted to other companies in invisible countries.

21. Modern CAPITALISM.
It all becomes a matter of SIGNIFICATION.
The END PRODUCT is reduced to a SIGN.
To Be is to Consume !
Show me what you buy and I will tell
you who you are.
You become member of Society by
Consumption.
This is CONSUMERISM.

22. Modern CAPITALISM.
It all becomes a matter of SIGNIFICATION.
MONEY becomes and the new measure is PRICE .
“ increase “
“exclusive”

23. Modern CAPITALISM.
It all becomes a matter of SIGNIFICATION.
MONEY’S Measure of PRICE .
PRICE is Merchandised Money, where
everybody, the Capitalist, the Labourer and
the Customer can participate any time and
at any place. Example is Internet Merchandizing.

24. Modern CAPITALISM.
It all becomes a matter of SIGNIFICATION.
Not everyone can participate in the labour market and in the consumption
model. The State also cannot do much.
This creates huge discriminations in social participation to wealth creation
and inequality.

25. Modern CAPITALISM
The inequality is spread locally and globally.

26. Modern CAPITALISM.
What new directions is Capitalism drifting to?
We might expect that again the Creativity in the usage of
TOOLS ( TECHNOLOGY ) will guide humankind to the next
stage of Capitalism.
The potential of the Internet, Communication, Micro-Power
stations (Solar), B2B, linked to micro-farming, niche
specialists, etc might copy the Capitalist formula of wealth
generation away from ‘centralizing’ dominance of Macro
Capitalism; which of course now already blocks any progress
in that direction.
A clash between micro and macro, decentralized and
centralised Capitalism?

27. Modern CAPITALISM.
What new directions is Capitalism drifting to?
• The Capitalist system tells the masses:
• The folks excluded want :
• The many creative people want to become capitalist as well:
But any promising new start-up company is
swallowed by the big conglomorates.

28. Modern CAPITALISM.
• In Capitalism, the Control and Management of the States have
fallen mainly in the hands of big corporations which in some cases
claim their social agenda under the names of affiliated Institutions.
• These corporations have no borders, only board meetings.
• But.. Ownership becomes a system and as with all system driven by
human interactions will the system’s behavior become
unpredictable.
• The system, on which the creation of States is based, can
apparently hold its stance for existence against the arguments of
the Capitalistic System.
• So far, the claim by Capitalism of being the Great Collective Intellect
does not give answers to poverty and the environmental headache.

29. Modern CAPITALISM.
• But does it matter when Culture has become a
consumable where you must participate. You hardly
can choose yourself; it’s all done and prepared by the
media. Aesthetic values become an exchange value
or a speculative value.
• Economic values, market values, prices, money,
speculation, become an aesthetic value, the source
of judgement, of pleasure and aesthetic fascination’.
• This degeneration of universal values is illustrated in
next magazine poster out of Revolutionart #17.

30. Modern CAPITALISM.
But does it matter when Love is downgraded to
Propaganda only?
Today, Life is no longer a struggle about food or
shelter; it is a fight to escape from the tyranny of
the Signs.
•

31. Modern CAPITALISM.
mm
TO FIGHT THE TYRANNY OF THE
SIGN EMPIRE
Fight the right
battle !

32. Modern CAPITALISM
This presentation comes from the book
SIGNS OF LIFE. LIFE OF SIGNS.
By: Ronny Julius C Verlet
www.lulu.com basic edition black-white print
www.peecho.com full color print

33. The other books from Ronny Verlet
The Alchemist of Language Creator of God.
Did God created Language or is it Language that creates God? Only Language can
tell. This book is a non-fiction intrigue and gossip from Etymology about
Language, Erotic, Religion, Science,...
Take a selfie of your Self to boost your mental health.
On the brink of a burn-out? Take a selfie with this book. One in five people are on
antidepressants or have professional mental supervision. Not even half feel any
improvement. Take your life back. Understand the Mind. This book compiles the
experience of the famous psychiatrists Freud, Jung, Lemaire, Laplanche, and
Lacan of how the knowledge of the Mind can help us to control our Life better
www.lulu.com
Ronny Verlet is also on www.issuu.com