There are turning points in history. Some are political, some are economic, some are climatic, some social, some military. The end of the middle ages brought many changes. One of the biggest was the development of capitalism. Much of what this brought, very gradually and mostly invisible to those at the time, meant better life for Europeans, where it happened, and other areas once it spread. It was not a religion, ideology or social movement, just an evolution of how money could work. It was the motor for great amounts of wealth creation. It contributed to making human life more successful.
That success changed the very background from which capitalism, and many other institutions and systems, had emerged. Modifications were necessitated, and these lead to resistance and struggle in new ways. Integrating the mechanistic principles of profit into the human domain of sensitivity and caring has taken time. Now, we have arrived at a new juncture.
The war for human survival is over, and we won. We don't have to be constantly conquering another people so that 'our' part of the world can exist; we know we all exist better if we do it together. We trade resources form all over the world to the benefit of all the world. At least, potentially. Advanced mechanization and nearly universal exchange of resources and labor mean new ways of dealing with old economics must be found. The problem is that no one knows, as yet, what these are or even should be. A few 'visionaries' do, however, have a sense of this reality. They are beginning to come forth with ideas that will highlight the new realities even if they turn out not to be the best solutions for them in the long run.
Put briefly, we have to re-invent economics, labor and how communities work or a gigantic scale. Early attempts at such re-examination can aid us in avoiding some mistakes. Marx, for example, caused us to focus more, and to change, how the labor force should be engaged. History is clear that 'isms' arising from his works have not succeeded. The break from the thinking of the past that was contributed does, nevertheless, advance our capacity to adapt. We don't want to go down a road where the 'state' becomes 'God', neither a 'left' nor 'right' one. Whatever changes that come, they must somehow be 'bottom up', not 'top down'.
But, we still function as little nations with little political systems and little interests. So, cautious little steps over little political and social 'eggs' must be taken. Hamon's proposals take into consideration the rising use of automation and seek to compensate for resultant decrease in buying power and, thus, consumption. Much broader action is imperative, but even this much will bring France, and others, closer to facing meaningful change.
