Document Type : Research Paper
Author
Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
Introduction:
The author defines capitalism as "a natural consequence of human activity and success in the fundamental accumulation of capital, within any society with any types of political economy structure, and with any possible methods, forms, and means". He believes that there are different forms of capitalism in every society. However, not all forms of capitalism get an equal opportunity to grow, but only a specific form of capitalism evolves and dominates in each society. The main issue and objective of the article is to understand the nature of this phenomenon and its results.
Materials and methods:
In this framework, the author tried to expand his theoretical approach under the title of the "Paradigm of Power" and provide a new supra-organismic explanation of its relationship with capitalism by answering the question "why and how only a certain form of capitalism is considered rational in every society, and as a result of this rationalization, it is placed in a position of natural growth and evolution?
Results and discussion:
The author has five interwined arguments as follows:
First argument; If I define the state as a "paradigm of power", Then I can claim that in every society, there is an "established paradigm of power" and three social class including "paradigmatic class", "anti-paradigmatic class" and "non-paradigmatic class". These three classes create three types of "paradigmatic capitalism", "anti-paradigmatic capitalism" and "non-paradigmatic capitalism" in the society. But these three types of capitalism do not have an equal opportunity to grow in any society, but only "paradigmatic capitalism" constantly grows and becomes the dominant form of capitalism in society. The root of this phenomenon is in the "concern of preserving and reproducing the paradigmatic order". Every paradigm of power always tries to preserve and reproduce the paradigmatic order (or the structure of its accumulation, hegemony, identity and legitimacy in the society), and to resolve this concern, it has a "mechanism of structural attraction and structural repulsion". Under the influence of this automatic mechanism, each paradigm of power (such as paradigm of power of Islamic Republic in Iranian society) merely attracts and developes its "affiliated and paradigmatic elites".
Hence, in every society, only those capitalist forces have the feasibility of long-term accumulation and growth, which are considered as a "paradigmatic class" and have a strong proportion and harmony with the "paradigmatic order". Accordingly, each paradigm of power considers only compatible capitalism as "rational capitalism" and so on, by utilizing the "legal, political economy and social tools", it limits, weakens and exposes the incompatible forces of capitalism as much as possible to decay. In this way, the established paradigm of power in each society gradually creates an "compulsory pattern of survival" and "linear memory of accumulation and growth" in the minds of all three types of paradigmatic, non-paradigmatic and anti-paradigmatic capitalism and further, it often convinces and forces these capitalist forces to inevitably enter the path of "conservatism and contingent adaptation with paradigmatic order" in order to ensure their survival and continued growth.
Second argument; I should consider this conservatism and contingent compatibility of all three types of capitalism with the paradigmatic order as "the instinctive, existential and biological solution of capitalism" because this solution is the main tool of all these types of capitalism (even paradigmatic capitalism) to solve the equation of survival and growth in society. In this way, all capitalist forces, despite their essential differences, are constantly trapped in the "iron cage of the paradigmatic order" and they do not have the possibility of leaving or opposing the paradigmatic order for a long time. Therefore, although the process of the formation of capitalism in different societies was not the same, but the process of its evolution is the same in all societies and that is "proportion and compatibility of capitalism with paradigmatic order". We can call this phenomenon "the naturalized law of fundamental accumulation of capital" in every society.
Third argument; Under the influence of this naturalized law, a kind of "forced similarity of action" is formed between all three types of paradigmatic capitalism, anti-paradigmatic capitalism and non-paradigmatic capitalism in every society and all these three types of capitalism, in the process of competition and struggle with each other for more accumulation, try to transform themselves into a part of the superorganism of the state or the established paradigm of power in the society. As a result, a special situation is created that we can call "the spontaneous self-alienation of capitalism in every society". In this way, contrary to Marx's interpretation, it is the state or paradigm of power that causes the self-alienation of all capitalist forces in all societies. This inevitable process of "transformation and annexation" of capitalism in the state or the paradigm of power leads to the formation of a situation in every society that we can call "double natural ownership" (or the common ownership of the capitalist and the state or the capitalist and the paradigm of power over the accumulated capital in society). In this way, the fundamental accumulation of capital in every society by all capitalist forces (including paradigmatic, anti-paradigmatic and non-paradigmatic capitalism) is subject to the tripod logic of "contingent adaptation", "transformation and annexation" and "dual natural ownership" and the logical result of this logic of accumulation, is the "emergence of a processed capitalism" in all societies.
Fourth argument; The established paradigm of power in every society has an instinctive, existential and biological tendency towards this processed capitalism and compatible with its paradigmatic order scince without so-called type of capitalism, it is not possible for the paradigm of power to maintain and reproduce its "structure of accumulation, hegemony, identity and legitimacy" in the society, and it becomes contradictory within itself. Based on this, the established paradigm of power in every society is bound to consider only capitalism compatible with its paradigmatic order as rational and to grow and evolve it. This processed capitalism is the main tool of the established paradigm of power in any society to regulate its relations with social forces. Each paradigm of power takes over, directly or indirectly, the "social organization of work, income and consumption" in society through the creation of a processed capitalism, and in this way, tries to keep the individuals within its paradigmatic order. Therefore, processed capitalism has a "diamond-like" importance for the established paradigm of power in any society, and for this reason, we can call this capitalism "Adamantine Capitalism". This diamond-likeness of processed capitalism is both due to its vital value in maintaining and reproducing the paradigmatic order in society and because of the hard nature of this processed capitalism and its easy immutability even by the established paradigm of power in each society.
Conclusion:
Based on these four arguments, it can be claimed that the growth of a particular form of capitalism in any society is not an accidental or arbitrary phenomenon and its root cannot be traced to "transformation in the mode of production" (according to Marx's interpretation) or "transformation in religious ethics" (according to Weber's interpretation) or "transformation in politics and government techniques" (according to contemporary interpretations of political capitalism). Basically, capitalism in any society is a living organism that is in constant interaction and coexistence with another super-organism (i.e. the state or established paradigm of power in any society) and these two social living beings, for "continuous self-fulfillment of their survival and development", always act on the basis of their "triple instinctive, existential and biological requirements". As a result, the nature of relations between the state (or paradigm of power) and capitalism in every society has a trans-economic, trans-political and trans-moral nature.
The article consists of four parts. First; I have described the theoretical approach of the paradigm of power and the reasons for its natural tendency to create a "processed capitalism" in any society. In the second part; The process of "transformation and incorporation of processed capitalism" into the superorganism of the state or the established paradigm of power in each society and the formation of the situation of "dual natural ownership" have basically explained. In the third part; I have addressed the issue of constant monitoring and evaluation of processed capitalism by the established paradigm of power in every society and its constant reconfiguration. And in the end; The natural crises of processed capitalism and its most important roots and results have been explained.
Keywords
- Paradigm of Power
- Spontaneous Self-alienation of Capitalism
- Adamantine Capitalism
- State Capitalism
- Political Capitalism
- Organized Capitalism
Main Subjects
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