Self-Destruction in the Age of Capital

Is capitalism a rational economic system for the satisfaction of material needs and the maximization of human prosperity or, rather, is it something entirely different, such as a religious or spiritual system demanding an unremitting flow of human tribute? From the standpoint of contemporary critical sociology Self-Destruction in the Age of Capital draws on the thought of Marx, Durkheim and Weber in a unique exploration of the classical tradition of sociological theory to demonstrate that religion and business underwent an inversion beginning in the 16th Century and that, today, capital is the one, universal deity that unites the global population in idolatry and self-destruction. Unifying the various currents of classical sociological thought, the author presents a compelling new analysis of the emergence of industrial capitalism and its postmodern forms of accumulation from the transfer of the pre-modern obedience to Church and God to markets and money, with the materialization of strange and troubling phenomena in contemporary society - such as rampage killing, suicide bombing and hyper-individuation - as a result of the new religion's demand for voluntary self-renunciation.