What will I learn about: why standard left-wing tactics like street protests and ethical consumption, known as 'folk politics,' fail to generate lasting structural change?

Understand why standard left-wing tactics like street protests and ethical consumption, known as 'folk politics,' fail to generate lasting structural change.

What will I learn about: how the overwhelming complexity of the global economy drives people toward the comforting but ineffective simplifications of local, immediate political actions?

Discover how the overwhelming complexity of the global economy drives people toward the comforting but ineffective simplifications of local, immediate political actions.

What will I learn about: Realize why prioritizing emotions and short-term reactions over critical, long-term strategy prevents social movements from effectively guiding the course of history?

Realize why prioritizing emotions and short-term reactions over critical, long-term strategy prevents social movements from effectively guiding the course of history.

What will I learn about: Learn how neoliberalism evolved from a fringe intellectual circle in the 1930s into a globally dominant ideology through calculated, long-term organization?

Learn how neoliberalism evolved from a fringe intellectual circle in the 1930s into a globally dominant ideology through calculated, long-term organization.

What will I learn about: Uncover the paradox of modern neoliberalism, which champions unimpeded free markets while heavily relying on state intervention to enforce property rights and sustain its power?

Uncover the paradox of modern neoliberalism, which champions unimpeded free markets while heavily relying on state intervention to enforce property rights and sustain its power.

Inventing the Future

Postcapitalism and a World Without Work

Nick Srnicek, Alex Williams

★ 4.0 / 5(53 ratings)

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Society & Culture Technology & the Future

If You're Curious About These Questions...

You should listen to this audiobook

💡Have you ever wondered why traditional protests and local activism often fail to create the massive systemic change we really need?
💡What if you could trade your 40-hour work week for a future of full automation and a guaranteed universal basic income?
💡Are you curious about how a radical new vision for the political left could finally end the dominance of neoliberalism and reclaim our future?

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Key Takeaways from Inventing the Future

✓Understand why standard left-wing tactics like street protests and ethical consumption, known as 'folk politics,' fail to generate lasting structural change.
✓Discover how the overwhelming complexity of the global economy drives people toward the comforting but ineffective simplifications of local, immediate political actions.
✓Realize why prioritizing emotions and short-term reactions over critical, long-term strategy prevents social movements from effectively guiding the course of history.
✓Learn how neoliberalism evolved from a fringe intellectual circle in the 1930s into a globally dominant ideology through calculated, long-term organization.
✓Uncover the paradox of modern neoliberalism, which champions unimpeded free markets while heavily relying on state intervention to enforce property rights and sustain its power.

Learning Tools

Reinforce what you learned from Inventing the Future

Mind Map

Inventing the Future

Limits of Folk Politics+

Rise of Neoliberalism+

Strategic Shift for the Left+

Automation and Labor+

Universal Basic Income (UBI)+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 6

According to the authors, what is the primary flaw of 'folk politics' in contemporary left-wing movements?

A. It relies too heavily on corporate funding and state intervention.
B. It focuses on immediate, local actions and emotions rather than long-term structural change.
C. It alienates the working class by focusing exclusively on complex academic theories.
D. It demands complete automation of the workforce before addressing immediate social needs.

Question 2 of 6

Why do the authors compare folk politics to conspiracy theories?

A. Both are primarily funded by fringe academic groups aiming to disrupt the government.
B. Both require a high level of organizational secrecy and strict hierarchical leadership.
C. Both appeal to people by falsely simplifying the highly complex and alienating systems of the modern global world.
D. Both were successfully utilized by neoliberals to establish their dominant socioeconomic approach.

Question 3 of 6

What is an ironic characteristic of neoliberalism, as described in the text?

A. Despite advocating for unimposed free markets, it relies heavily on state influence to defend property rights and sustain its order.
B. It was originally founded by left-wing intellectuals who wanted to overthrow classical liberal economics.
C. It promotes a universal basic income while simultaneously trying to eliminate all social welfare programs.
D. It achieved global dominance without ever being taught in academic economic circles or universities.

Question 4 of 6

What lesson do the authors believe the political left should learn from the historical rise of neoliberalism?

A. The left should focus exclusively on grassroots, local protests to slowly change public opinion.
B. The left needs to build a long-term, top-down strategic vision using think tanks, media, and organized hierarchies.
C. The left must reject all forms of organizational hierarchy and rationality to remain morally pure.
D. The left should focus on emotional appeals and celebrity-led events to rapidly raise funds for systemic change.

Question 5 of 6

How has the threat of automation currently affected the labor market and workers' habits?

A. It has caused the average workweek to drastically decrease to 15 hours, as John Maynard Keynes predicted.
B. It has led to a massive increase in industrial jobs as robots require constant human supervision.
C. It has made workers desperate to keep their jobs, resulting in them working longer hours than ever before.
D. It has already forced governments to implement a Universal Basic Income to compensate for lost wages.

Question 6 of 6

According to the authors, what is one of the major cultural barriers to successfully enacting a Universal Basic Income (UBI)?

A. Most people identify themselves solely in terms of their work, making a life without work difficult to conceptualize.
B. UBI is a completely unprecedented concept that has never been explored by economists or policymakers before.
C. The majority of workers currently find their jobs deeply engaging and fulfilling, and do not want to stop working.
D. It would require a complete return to local, small-scale folk politics to be administered properly.

Inventing the Future — Full Chapter Overview

1Recommendation
21 — Most current leftist politics is limited in both scope and effect.
32 — Folk politics wrongly simplifies today’s complex world.
43 — Neoliberalism has grown from a fringe theory into the dominant socioeconomic model of our time.
54 — The left can learn from neoliberalism’s rise.
65 — Automation and unemployment are becoming increasingly likely.
76 — Universal basic income is essential to building a post-capitalist world.
87 — Final summary

Inventing the Future Summary & Overview

Inventing the Future (2015) is a radical manifesto for the political left. These blinks describe why the current political tactics of the left are failing, explain how neoliberalism has become today’s dominant global ideology and propose a future based on full automation and a universal basic income.