How to Be an Anticapitalist in the Twenty-First Century
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- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Erik Olin Wright
- ISBN：1788739558
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Summary
What is wrong with capitalism， and how can we change it？
Capitalism has transformed the world and increased our productivity， but at the cost of enormous human suffering。 Our shared values - equality and fairness， democracy and freedom， community and solidarity - can both provide the basis for a critique of capitalism， and help to guide us towards a socialist and democratic society。
In this elegant book， Erik Olin Wright has distilled decades of work into a concise and tightly argued manifesto - analyzing the varieties of anti-capitalism， assessing different strategic approaches， and laying the foundations for a society dedicated to human flourishing。 How to Be an Anticapitalist in the 21st Century is an urgent and powerful argument for socialism， and a unparalleled guide to help us get there。 Another world is possible。
Capitalism has transformed the world and increased our productivity， but at the cost of enormous human suffering。 Our shared values - equality and fairness， democracy and freedom， community and solidarity - can both provide the basis for a critique of capitalism， and help to guide us towards a socialist and democratic society。
In this elegant book， Erik Olin Wright has distilled decades of work into a concise and tightly argued manifesto - analyzing the varieties of anti-capitalism， assessing different strategic approaches， and laying the foundations for a society dedicated to human flourishing。 How to Be an Anticapitalist in the 21st Century is an urgent and powerful argument for socialism， and a unparalleled guide to help us get there。 Another world is possible。
Reviews
Arkadiy
，
"How to Be an Anticapitalist in the Twenty-First Century" reads like a DSA manifesto， which， just like the DSA， is a melting pot of various leftist ideological inclinations stuck together with compromise glue。 Is that a good thing？ Well， that depends on the reader and their feelings towards the state。 The lack of consideration given to "crushing capitalism" is dissatisfying and likely triggering to fellow Leninists， but who cares？ They're Leninists。What I got from this book was a pat on the back "How to Be an Anticapitalist in the Twenty-First Century" reads like a DSA manifesto， which， just like the DSA， is a melting pot of various leftist ideological inclinations stuck together with compromise glue。 Is that a good thing？ Well， that depends on the reader and their feelings towards the state。 The lack of consideration given to "crushing capitalism" is dissatisfying and likely triggering to fellow Leninists， but who cares？ They're Leninists。What I got from this book was a pat on the back for doing at least some form of praxis that Wright united under the label "eroding capitalism"， and an underwhelming attempt to convince the reader to continue ahead under the banner of "unite the left"， but without the vanguardists， of course。Overall， I believe this to be a largely unnecessary read for any convinced anticapitalist， but perhaps a beneficial read for tinkering social-democratic AOC stans。 If， of course， they manage to get past the title。 。。。more
Reana Kovalcik
，
Absolutely essential reading to orient oneself （minus an abundance of jargon and dogma） in the values of democratic socialism。 Olin Wright lays out clearly both the problem and the path forward。 A wonderful read。
e
，
i bought this curious， but equally cautious that it might be preachy。 it wasn't。 so many people hate on capitalism （there are plenty of reasons to be unhappy with it as the dominant system in a society） but hardly ever do those same people propose a solution。 that's where this book - more aptly called an essay - comes in。 although clearly written in academic style， it is public-facing enough to be accessible to a beginner。 it takes the reader through a series of counter-arguments， and counter-co i bought this curious， but equally cautious that it might be preachy。 it wasn't。 so many people hate on capitalism （there are plenty of reasons to be unhappy with it as the dominant system in a society） but hardly ever do those same people propose a solution。 that's where this book - more aptly called an essay - comes in。 although clearly written in academic style， it is public-facing enough to be accessible to a beginner。 it takes the reader through a series of counter-arguments， and counter-counter-arguments， offering a well-researched and balanced theory on an alternative to capitalism。 while the conclusion leans towards egalitarian thinking， this is not asserted。 rather， it remains open for the reader to agree， disagree， or form their own opinions。 rest in peace， erik， and thank you for blessing us with your insight。 。。。more
saskia
，
Wikipedia getting the love and appreciation it deserves！！！Let’s talk non-market economic alternatives and the unconditional basic income; cooperatives， state investment in public services， peer to peer observations and innovations。 Resisting and escaping capitalism from below， dismantling and taming capitalism from above。
literally， literate
，
Ah yes， the One in Which I Become Radicalized。 And I'm sure a bunch of you are thinking "well of course you're a socialist， you're unemployed！" to which I say。。。Actually， I'm not even going to address that criticism because 1） actually no， that's not the truth， Ellen， and also 2） mom？？ is that you？？ This book should be re-titled An Idiot's Guide to Anti-Capitalism because it reads like a very basic， very watered-down version of something you might read on the quad of your liberal arts college in Ah yes， the One in Which I Become Radicalized。 And I'm sure a bunch of you are thinking "well of course you're a socialist， you're unemployed！" to which I say。。。Actually， I'm not even going to address that criticism because 1） actually no， that's not the truth， Ellen， and also 2） mom？？ is that you？？ This book should be re-titled An Idiot's Guide to Anti-Capitalism because it reads like a very basic， very watered-down version of something you might read on the quad of your liberal arts college in an attempt to impress that one person sitting across from you who has really good bone structure but also is a Marxist。 Admittedly， I am not a smart person。 I went to a smart person's college and have absolutely nothing to show for it except maybe the ability to enter an hour-long trance and emerge with a semi-legible essay。 So now that I'm （say it with me！） UNEMPLOYED and also BORED I thought: "well， now's a good time to learn about the world and more importantly， why it sucks so bad"。 The answer？ Capitalism， duh！ How to Be An Anticapitalist addresses the issue in very manageable chunks， beginning with a definition of socialism that's built around three guiding principles: equality/fairness， democracy/freedom， and community/solidarity。 From there， Wright constructs his vision for eroding capitalism that's as well-intentioned as it is sparse。 There are only a few sources cited directly in the text， even fewer footnotes。 The arguments are convincing only because there is next to nothing standing in the way— no opposition， no push-back， no self-reflection。 And look， I'm not advocating for a sequel to Das Kapital because I didn't understand that the first time I read it， and， like I mentioned earlier， I'm trying to become a smarter person not just a person who reads books for smart people。 So， for what it's worth， I appreciate what Erik Olin Wright is doing。 I'm trying to become a smarter person but， more importantly， I'm trying to become a better， more well-informed person， and How to Be an Anti-Capitalist is a perfect step towards PLUNDERING JEFF BEZOS OF ALL HE'S WORTH MWAHAHAHAHA。 。。。more
Angelique
，
Finished just because I put so much effort into reading this。 I don’t think he achieved what he set out to do。 It was inflated and not simply explained but rather simple concepts made super unnecessarily complex。I did enjoy where it talked about how corporations and states can do good things。But it could have been shorter and more simply explained。
Prince Mendax
，
E tyckte att jag borde läsa en "riktig" bok om makroekonomi istället。 Men jag tyckte att den här var bra！ E tyckte att jag borde läsa en "riktig" bok om makroekonomi istället。 Men jag tyckte att den här var bra！ 。。。more
John
，
“The strategic vision of eroding capitalism imagines introducing the most vigorous varieties of emancipatory species of noncapitalist economic activity into the ecosystem of capitalism， nurturing their development by protecting their niches and figuring out ways of expanding their habitats。 The ultimate hope is that eventually these alien species can spill out of their narrow niches and transform the characters of the ecosystem as a whole”
Lauren
，
Nice bridge between Marxist ideas and the reality of the capitalist world we live in now。
oceana
，
more like How to Be a Reformist in the Twenty-First Century
Jordan Webber
，
This book was a really interesting read。 It laid out a detailed argument for forging a new path forward。 It did so in layman’s terms though it’s not hard to tell academically where he is pulling from。 The issue I had was that right off bat I was waiting for him to tie together capitalism with the patriarchy and white supremacy and it was not until the final 20 pages of the book that he brought up the importance of identities like race and gender as particularly salient when trying to revolutioni This book was a really interesting read。 It laid out a detailed argument for forging a new path forward。 It did so in layman’s terms though it’s not hard to tell academically where he is pulling from。 The issue I had was that right off bat I was waiting for him to tie together capitalism with the patriarchy and white supremacy and it was not until the final 20 pages of the book that he brought up the importance of identities like race and gender as particularly salient when trying to revolutionize a class system。 So while I enjoyed the book， the significance of structures of oppression that are not purely based on class needed to brought up earlier and weaved throughout。 。。。more
Kian Lavi
，
Certainly feels like required reading for any Usonian abolitionists interested in how economic and democratic systems can better suit our masses。 It’s idealistic， it’s approachable， and I pray that it’s not too far-fetched to be borne out into reality。
Francisco Azevedo
，
Soube a pouco。 Embora tenha lançado ideias profundamente interessantes， a sua concepção teórica do capitalismo e de identidades pareceu me insuficiente。 Além disso o autor não aponta o caminho， apenas enuncia um conjunto de possíveis modos de erodir o capitalismo。 Posto isto， não deixa de ser um livro importante e， como é dito no posfácio， um verdadeiro manifesto anticapitalista。 Conhecendo o seu trabalho enquanto sociólogo， fiquei com a impressão que algumas ideias mereciam mais profundidade。 A Soube a pouco。 Embora tenha lançado ideias profundamente interessantes， a sua concepção teórica do capitalismo e de identidades pareceu me insuficiente。 Além disso o autor não aponta o caminho， apenas enuncia um conjunto de possíveis modos de erodir o capitalismo。 Posto isto， não deixa de ser um livro importante e， como é dito no posfácio， um verdadeiro manifesto anticapitalista。 Conhecendo o seu trabalho enquanto sociólogo， fiquei com a impressão que algumas ideias mereciam mais profundidade。 Ainda assim， o próprio livro é uma edição "reader friendly"， de uma edição mais ao meu gosto， mais académica。 Recomendo a seu leitura， e acompanhar a mesma como o episódio 26 do podcast "The Future is a Mixtape" 。。。more
Ellen Bridson
，
A must read for those on the left of the political spectrum， caught between the weaknesses of Marxism and ambivalence towards the political centre ground。 Wright explains in very logical terms how more egalitarian societies could look without the upheaval of a revolution to overthrow capitalism。
Nicole
，
Excellent。 This is as close to a blueprint for moving towards a realistic anticapitalist alternative as possible without being an actual rigid blueprint。 I did the book a disservice by taking long breaks between reading it。 Wright explains the the workings of capitalism and how capitalism is incapable of addressing our current issues and， indeed， makes most of our current issues worse。 He presents a multi-pronged approach with lots of possible actions that would work in tandem to confront our so Excellent。 This is as close to a blueprint for moving towards a realistic anticapitalist alternative as possible without being an actual rigid blueprint。 I did the book a disservice by taking long breaks between reading it。 Wright explains the the workings of capitalism and how capitalism is incapable of addressing our current issues and， indeed， makes most of our current issues worse。 He presents a multi-pronged approach with lots of possible actions that would work in tandem to confront our societal issues。 He is eloquent and does a great job of making the content accessible without dumbing anything down。 It is such a shame that he died before getting to complete the last chapter and his planned， more academic follow-up book going deeper in-depth into the same topic。 。。。more
林秀英 Kira L。
，
"Why do people keep calling me a neoliberal and why is there a negative connotation？" If you've had that thought， this is a good place to start。 Wright's final work is a handy guide （literally， it's so slim it could fit in your pocket） for eroding capitalism that provides modern， succinct glosses of terms and gives a roadmap/structure to organizing arguments about anti-capitalist strategies。 Wright explains the weight in his term， "eroding" to distinguish his approach with， for example， historic "Why do people keep calling me a neoliberal and why is there a negative connotation？" If you've had that thought， this is a good place to start。 Wright's final work is a handy guide （literally， it's so slim it could fit in your pocket） for eroding capitalism that provides modern， succinct glosses of terms and gives a roadmap/structure to organizing arguments about anti-capitalist strategies。 Wright explains the weight in his term， "eroding" to distinguish his approach with， for example， historical efforts to smash the system （noting examples of communist/socialist-in-name regimes which became heavily statist oligarchies rather than democratic or egalitarian systems）。If you're building up an anti-racism book club， you'll need a fulsome framework for talking about democratized socialism （or anti-capitalism） for reading comprehension and to have a real conversation。 I say this because a lot of radical literature and ideas are informed by early communist and socialist writing， but also to understand the ascendancy of the progressive movement in the American political system， typified by leaders like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez。Wright's writing is deftly structured （sections listed below） so that you don't sit long with certain questions （like， "wouldn't putting funds in the hands of local actors provide similar or even greater opportunities for corruption？"）。 He is clear about when he doesn't have a solution。 He also highlights some proposals that are emerging as potential solutions， regardless of whether they "feel" like they could be "viable" or not （e。g。 the concept of Universal Basic Income （UBI））。 As to the pie-in-the-sky type proposals -- whether someone is guiding the sails or not， winds can change。 What seems impossible today might not seem so tomorrow。 Having fluidity in the menu of options will make your future insights more meaningful。 Of note， Wright's book does not exhaustively describe all anti capitalist strategies。For a definitional example， Wright defines "people" to be "conscious， reflecting initiators of acts in a structured， meaningful world。" This he contrasts with "collectivities，" to then explain "collective agency。" Sections: 1） Why be Anticapitalist？2） Diagnosis and Critique of Capitalism--> （In this section， Wright addresses bases for skepticism about diagnosing capitalism as a negative， and why these bases for skepticism should not be dismissed out of hand）3） Varieties of Anticapitalism4） The Destination beyond Capitalism: Socialism as Economic Democracy5） Anticapitalism and the State6） Agents of Transformation --> （The problem of collective agency; From identities， interests and values to collective actors; Real politics）Afterword 。。。more
Er La
，
More entry-level than I expected， but I still had some novel takeaways。 I appreciated the nuanced analysis of universal basic income。
Morgaine Wilkinson
，
This isn't as accessible as some books around anticapitalism can be， but it was interesting and pretty succinct。 Definitely talks more about the slow process to alternatives so it won't suit anyone who wants ideas for immediate and broad change。 This isn't as accessible as some books around anticapitalism can be， but it was interesting and pretty succinct。 Definitely talks more about the slow process to alternatives so it won't suit anyone who wants ideas for immediate and broad change。 。。。more
Adrien
，
Un livre enfin disponible en français， qui aborde des aspects théoriques du capitalisme en y apportant des réponses concrètes。 Attention， c’est le dernier livre de l’auteur， qui est mort avan d’avoir pu le finir。 Il manque donc des chapitres et on sent à la lecture qu’il avait encore des choses à nous dire。 Un très bon petit livre de chevet pour tout anticapitaliste qui se respecte
Elsa Kivinen
，
Don't let the click-bait styled title fool you: this is a book that is very academically applicable—thorough yet easy to read。 This is not a self help book but helps one in understanding different forms and strategies of “anti-capitalism” ranging from subtle criticism and harm reduction to reigning of capitalism， building coexistencing alternatives to it or “smashing it”。 Most importantly it makes one think and reflect for themselves， in a rather uplifting manner。 Don't let the click-bait styled title fool you: this is a book that is very academically applicable—thorough yet easy to read。 This is not a self help book but helps one in understanding different forms and strategies of “anti-capitalism” ranging from subtle criticism and harm reduction to reigning of capitalism， building coexistencing alternatives to it or “smashing it”。 Most importantly it makes one think and reflect for themselves， in a rather uplifting manner。 。。。more
Fernando Ramírez de Luis
，
This is a good introduction to the ills of capitalism， the strategies that can be followed to transform it and how to get there。 All with the benefit of no-bullshit Marxism at its finest; no obscure ideas， everything laid out clearly and with proper definitions， and a willingness to make anticapitalism accessible。 I wholeheartedly recommend this read as a good one for anybody who wants to grasp the basics of anticapitalism， for those willing to learn more about democratic socialism， or just to g This is a good introduction to the ills of capitalism， the strategies that can be followed to transform it and how to get there。 All with the benefit of no-bullshit Marxism at its finest; no obscure ideas， everything laid out clearly and with proper definitions， and a willingness to make anticapitalism accessible。 I wholeheartedly recommend this read as a good one for anybody who wants to grasp the basics of anticapitalism， for those willing to learn more about democratic socialism， or just to get their mental contents in order in a world where understanding social phenomena is a daunting task in a sea of constant stimulation and agitation。 。。。more
Don
，
Over the past few years there has been a steady accumulation of books on the theme of ‘anti-capitalism’， or sometimes， ‘post-capitalism’。 The notion of socialism seems to be avoided in many of these works not for reasons of rank hostility， but because asserting it as an abstract end to be accomplished prior to a thorough-going consideration of the forces involved in the dissolution of capitalism is an example of the dangerous practice of putting the cart before the horse。In this brief book， the Over the past few years there has been a steady accumulation of books on the theme of ‘anti-capitalism’， or sometimes， ‘post-capitalism’。 The notion of socialism seems to be avoided in many of these works not for reasons of rank hostility， but because asserting it as an abstract end to be accomplished prior to a thorough-going consideration of the forces involved in the dissolution of capitalism is an example of the dangerous practice of putting the cart before the horse。In this brief book， the last written by the eminent American sociologist， Erik Olin Wright summarises his thinking on why the project of achieving change has to be conceived of as first and foremost one of replacing capitalism， a task which could only be undertaken if it fully involved the people most grossly affected by its functioning across the realms of society， economy and politics。 His years of study of the effects of class stratification and inequality supported the view that， since the people disadvantaged formed the great majority of society， then the struggle for change is， of necessity， democratic to its core。Wright’s version of Marxism placed him at odds with the view that capitalism had first to be smashed and pushed to one side before the task of building socialism could begin。 The problem that has to be confronted is one that sees actually-existing capitalism as a hybrid system， in which modes of non-capitalist operation have to exist under the hegemonic dominance of a system that makes capital accumulation its highest purpose。 This accounts for the fact that， in its aggregate effect， the systems skew in directions which are destructive of social solidarity， increasing exploitation and despoliation of the non-human world。 But for Wright the anti-capitalist strategy that needs to be pursued is one that aims to build upon and expand the social and economic spaces where capitalism red-in-tooth-and-claw has been held in check。 This means using democracy as a means to affect a just distribution of essential goods and services rather than rely on pure market relations。 In capitalist Europe the prevalence of socialised systems of healthcare provide the best-known example of what this rebalancing of social priorities looks like in practice。He calls this strategy ‘eroding capitalism’， which is intended to provide a perspective in which the profit-driven core of the system is compressed into a smaller space， allowing the hinterland to be populated by diverse social and economic structures which embody democratic and cooperative practice。 Put in this way the business of being an anti-capitalist in the 21st century is much like that of being a democratic socialist in the mid-20th。 The analogy of ‘eroding’ capitalism starts to fall apart at this point， since it suggests it stands in relation to the rest of society as a lump of rock which， once reduced in size cannot expand again at a later time。 R。H。 Tawney suggested that the more apt image would be to see capitalism as a tiger which will fight back with vicious strength if it feels itself threatened。So， how will today’s anti-capitalists take on the task of forcing capitalism back into partial segments where it looses its coherence as a globally expanding system and its malign effects neutralised？ Being aware that this is a challenge taken on by radical reformists and revolutionists across the past 200 years would be a good start。 The fact that things failed when they were attempted previous times does not mean that we are forever doomed to defeat。 It is just that the next time we try we should make sure we have learned from the mistakes of predecessors， and do better next time。 。。。more
Ramellose
，
This book is intended to be a quick-and-dirty alternative to Envisioning Real Utopias by the same author， since that book's largest criticism was that it is completely inaccessible to most people。With that in mind， I feel I can't really criticize some of the quick-and-dirty superficial arguments in the book， given how accessibility was its main purpose。Book title should be appended with "if you're not a revolutionary" though！ It misses out on some takes by other writers with similar political or This book is intended to be a quick-and-dirty alternative to Envisioning Real Utopias by the same author， since that book's largest criticism was that it is completely inaccessible to most people。With that in mind， I feel I can't really criticize some of the quick-and-dirty superficial arguments in the book， given how accessibility was its main purpose。Book title should be appended with "if you're not a revolutionary" though！ It misses out on some takes by other writers with similar political orientations。 The first few chapters were old news for me but this is definitely a book that supports communist praxis。 The second half is a great overview of everyday anti-capitalism in the 21st century， and a discussion of how we can expand that。As I mentioned， I think it's too superficial but this was never intended to be a book that elaborately addresses criticisms of Wright's ideas， it was intended to be a book that introduces those ideas and modern-day praxis in relatively accessible language。 With that in mind， it's a good book。 。。。more
Kris Deters
，
Good definitions。 I can understand the criticism at the book's lack of a revolutionary ideal， but the ideas themselves are laid out well enough to easily form your own opinions on the subject of anticapitalism。 Good book to hand to a someone who has a positive feeling about capitalism。 Good definitions。 I can understand the criticism at the book's lack of a revolutionary ideal， but the ideas themselves are laid out well enough to easily form your own opinions on the subject of anticapitalism。 Good book to hand to a someone who has a positive feeling about capitalism。 。。。more
ami
，
нормальний мануал
Meg
，
This book （1） was very readable with a great summary of values issues and （2） totally convinced me that universal basic income （or Unconditional Basic Income as he calls it here） is probably the necessary first step toward being able to organize a more cooperative and democratic society。
Dan
，
The clunky title aside， this is a to-the-point and very clearly worded strategic guide to resisting capitalist power in the current age。
Mario Fontes
，
A very simple introduction to Anticapitalist ideas， important policies to advocate for， and how you can do your best to exist outside capitalism。 It also helps that its written in a modern context often referencing recent events。
Stella Maris
，
I really wanted to like this book， since it's a topic I'm really passionate about， but it just didn't capture my interest。。。 I really wanted to like this book， since it's a topic I'm really passionate about， but it just didn't capture my interest。。。 。。。more
Giulia
，