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On t he L imit s t o
Capit alis t Ac c umulat ion
Geor ge Caffent z is
the e ne rg y re so urc e ba se :
The Na z is a lso e xpe r ime nte d with vio la ting the a dvic e o f Ada m
Smith a nd Jo hn Stua rt Mill in the ir de sire to te st the e xtre me limits
Wor k or Ener gy ? 113
!is situa tio n co nfro nte d the Na z is with the pro ble ma tic pro duce d by
mixing a sla ve mo de o f pro duc tio n with a hig h o rg a nic c o mpo sitio n
industry. In the inte re st o f ke e ping pro duc tio n g o ing :
[T]he pre se rva tio n o f the priso ne r wo rkfo rce be ca me a hig he r prio rity,
a s ma ny no w po sse sse d se miskille d tra ining in va rio us a sse mbly line
jo bs. !e Mi"e lwe rk co mpa ny ma de limite d e ffo rts to impro ve clo thing
a nd g o o d ra tio ns, a nd [c hie f e ng ine e r] Rudo lph wa s invo lve d in the
c re a tio n o f a pre mium wa g e syste m tha t a llo we d so me priso ne rs to
e a rn priso n sc rip tha t c o uld be use d to buy a fe w e xtra s a t a c a nte e n.37
a c o untry fro m jo ining the ra nks o f c a pita list sta te s, the n the Unite d
Sta te s wo uld be the first to be o uste d. !e who le po int o f this sho rt
re minisc e nc e o f Na z i Ge rma ny, ho we ve r, is to sho w tha t e ne rg y a nd
e c o lo g ic a l c rise s o f the mo st de va sta ting so rt a lo ne will no t dire c tly
le a d to the a ba ndo ning o f a so c io e c o no mic syste m like c a pita lism
unle ss the re is a n a lte rna tive a va ila ble a nd a po litic a l fo rc e unite d
e no ug h a nd ma ssive e no ug h to a c hie ve it.
Not es
1. Mic ha e l Ha rdt a nd Anto nio Ne g ri, Co mmo nwe alth (Ca mbridg e , MA:
Ha rva rd UP, 2 009).
2. Ka r l Ma r x a nd Fr ie dr ic h Eng e ls , The Co mmunis t Manife s t o
(Ha rmo ndswo rth: Pe ng uin Bo o ks, 1967 ).
3. Ug o Ba rdi, “Pe a k Oil a nd ‘!e Limits to Gro wth’: Two Pa ra lle l sto rie s,”
!e Oil Dr um, www.the o ildrum.c o m/no de /3550
4. Ge o rg e Ca ffe ntz is, “!e Pe a k Oil Co mple x, Co mmo dity Fe tishism a nd
Cla ss Strug g le ,” Re think ing Mar x ism 2 0 (2 008) 313– 32 0.
5. Sa sha Lille y, e t a l. Catastr o phism: !e Apo c aly ptic Po litic s o f Co llapse and
Re b ir th (Oa kla nd, CA: PM Pre ss, 2 012 ).
6. Sa ra l Sa rka r, !e Cr ise s o f Capitalism: A Diffe r e nt study o f Po litic al Ec o no my
(Be rke le y, CA: Co unte rpo int, 2 012 ), a nd Sa ra l Sa rka r, Ec o - So c ialism o r
Ec o - Capitalis m? : A Cr itic al Analy s is o f Humanity ’s Fundame ntal Cho ic e s
(Lo ndo n: Ze d Bo o ks, 1999).
7. Sa rka r, !e Cr ise s o f Capitalism 352 .
8. !e Cr ise s o f Capitalism 2 7 8.
Wor k or Ener gy ? 117
9. !e Cr ise s o f Capitalism 2 7 8.
10. !e Cr ise s o f Capitalism 2 80.
11. !e Cr ise s o f Capitalism 2 82 .
12 . !e Cr ise s o f Capitalism 2 84 .
13. Ka rl Po ppe r, “Pre fa c e ,” !e Po v e r ty o f His to r ic is m (Lo ndo n: Ro utle dg e
a nd Ka g a n Pa ul, 1957 ).
14 . Fra nkly, we c a nno t kno w fo r sure a t this time whe re the sc ie nc e o f the
future will le a d a ny mo re tha n we ca n kno w the sta tus o f a n a #e rlife. But
g iving Sa rka r the be ne fit o f the do ubt, we c a n re c ko n by the re lia bility
a nd dura bility o f a limit la w like the Se c o nd La w o f !e rmo dyna mic s
— a “la w” tha t puts c le a r limits o n the e ffic ie nc y o f he a t e ng ine s a nd
“de cre e s” tha t pe rpe tuum mo bile s a re impo ssible — tha t the suspe nsio n
o f Po ppe r’s ma xim is justifie d in this c a se . Inde e d, a ha lf-c e ntury be fo re
the first fo rmula tio n o f the Se c o nd La w the Fre nc h Ac a de my de c ide d
(a na c hr o nis tic a lly) to vio la te Po ppe r ’s ma xim whe n it r e fus e d to
c o nside r a ny c o rre spo nde nc e with pe o ple c la iming to ha ve inve nte d
pe rpe tuum mo bile s in 17 7 5!
15. !e Cr ise s o f Capitalism 2 89.
16. “Subje c tive” in this c o nte xt is no t a n a nto nym o f “o bje c tive ,” but it is
its dia le c tic a l c o mple me nt. He re I fo llo w a He g e lia n usa g e : “...the te rm
subje c tivity is no t to be c o nfine d me re ly to the ba d a nd finite kind o f
it whic h is c o ntra ste d with the thing (fa c t). In its truth subje c tivity is
imma ne nt in the fa ct, a nd a s a subje ctivity thus infinite is the ve ry truth
o f the fa ct.” Willia m Wa lla ce, !e Lo g ic o f He g e l (Oxfo rd: Oxfo rd UP, 1892 )
270
17. !e Cr ise s o f Capitalism 2 7 8, 2 80.
18. Ka rl Ma rx, Capital Vo l. I, tra ns. Be n Fo wke s (Lo ndo n: Pe ng uin Bo o ks,
197 6 [1867 ]) 134 .
19. Silvia Fe de ric i, Calib an and the Witc h: Wo me n, the Bo dy and Pr imitiv e
Ac c umulatio n (Ne w Yo rk: Auto no me dia , 2 004 ).
2 0. Ma rx, Capital Vo l. I 4 32 .
2 1. !e Cr ise s o f Capitalism 2 80.
22. Ge o rg e Ca ffe ntz is, “A Critique o f Co g nitive Ca pita lism,” in Le "e r s o f Blo o d
and Fir e : Wo r k , Mac hine s, and the Cr isis o f Capitalism (Oa kla nd, CA: PM P/
118 Ma ter ia lis m a nd t he Cr it ique of Ener gy