“WhatIamseekinghereisabetterunderstandingofthecontradictionsofcapital,notofcapitalism.Iwanttoknowhowtheeconomicengineofcapitalismworksthewayitdoes,andwhyitmightstutterandstallandsometimesappeartobeonthevergeofcollapse.Ialsowanttoshowwhythiseconomicengineshouldbereplaced,andwithwhat.“--fromtheIntroductionTomodernWesternsociety,capitalismistheairwebreathe,andmostpeoplerarelythinktoquestionit,forgoodorforill.Butknowingwhatmakescapitalismwork--andwhatmakesitfail--iscrucialtounderstandingitslong-termhealth,andthevastimplicationsfortheglobaleconomythatgoalongwithit.InSeventeenContradictionsandtheEndofCapitalism,theeminentscholarDavidHarvey,authorofABriefHistoryofNeoliberalism,examinestheinternalcontradictionswithintheflowofcapitalthathaveprecipitatedrecentcrises.Hecontendsthatwhilethecontradictionshavemadecapitalismflexibleandresilient,theyalsocontaintheseedsofsystemiccatastrophe.Manyofthecontradictionsaremanageable,butsomearefatal:thestressonendlesscompoundgrowth,thenecessitytoexploitnaturetoitslimits,andtendencytowarduniversalalienation.Capitalismhasalwaysmanagedtoextendtheouterlimitsthrough“spatialfixes,“expandingthegeographyofthesystemtocovernationsandpeopleformerlyoutsideofitsrange.Whetheritcancontinuetoexpandisanopenquestion,butHarveythinksitunlikelyinthemediumtermfuture:thelimitscannotextendmuchfurther,andtherecentfinancialcrisisisaharbingerofthis.DavidHarveyhaslongbeenrecognizedasoneoftheworld’smostacutecriticalanalystsoftheglobalcapitalistsystemandtheinjusticesthatflowfromit.Inthisbook,hereturnstothefoundationsofallofhiswork,dissectingandinterrogatingthefundamentalillogicofoureconomicsystem,aswellasgivingusalookathowhumansocietiesarelikelytoevolveinapost-capitalistworld.
