{"id":22519,"date":"2024-04-23T06:05:37","date_gmt":"2024-04-23T06:05:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.writemyessays.app\/blog\/questions\/class-discussion-board-4-consumer-capitalism-the-future-of-human-civilization\/"},"modified":"2024-04-23T06:05:37","modified_gmt":"2024-04-23T06:05:37","slug":"class-discussion-board-4-consumer-capitalism-the-future-of-human-civilization","status":"publish","type":"questions","link":"https:\/\/www.writemyessays.app\/blog\/questions\/class-discussion-board-4-consumer-capitalism-the-future-of-human-civilization\/","title":{"rendered":"Class Discussion Board #4 (Consumer Capitalism & The Future of Human Civilization)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Due Dates (multiple): <\/span><\/strong>Your initial post is due before 11:59 PM on April 23rd. Two (or more) reply posts are due before 11:59 PM on April 25th.<\/span><\/p>\n


How to submit your response: <\/span><\/strong>Reply directly to this post below! <\/span>*Note- you must first post your initial comments in order to gain access to all student comments<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n



<\/em>IMPORTANT:<\/strong> Your initial post is due before <\/span>11:59 PM on April 23rd<\/strong>. <\/strong>Failure to post your initial comments before this deadline will result in an automatic <\/span>6-<\/strong>point reduction<\/strong>. This structure will allow your fellow students enough time (e.g., 48 hours) to read, reflect on, and reply to your initial post before the <\/span>final, April 25th deadline.<\/strong> <\/span>*Note- your first post will be graded as the “initial post” and any subsequent replies to students’ initial posts will count toward the grading rubric requirement for reply posts. Only one “initial” post is allowed\/will be graded.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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Module #4 Learning Objectives Assessed<\/h3>\n

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Analyze the interconnections between capitalism as a structure and other areas of social life. <\/span><\/p>\n

Highlight the government policy dimension of capitalism and economics and it’s influence on stratification and other sociological problems.<\/span><\/p>\n

Analyze current issues related to social stratification using sociological insights, such as access to healthcare, life expectancy, environmental degradation, and violence. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Required Learning Materials<\/h3>\n

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Before developing your initial post, please engage with the following learning materials:<\/span><\/p>\n

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Watch the Ted Talk video by <\/span><\/span>Lewis (2012)<\/strong><\/span>Links to an external site.<\/span><\/span><\/a>, titled “Consumer Capitalism”

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Read the article by <\/span>Bellamy Foster and Clark (2012)<\/strong><\/span>Links to an external site.<\/span><\/span><\/a>, titled <\/span>“The Planetary Emergency”


<\/em>Read the chapter by <\/span>Bellamy Foster (2022)<\/a> <\/span><\/span>Download Bellamy Foster (2022)<\/span><\/a><\/span>, titled <\/span>“<\/em><\/span><\/span>The Capitalinian: The First Geological Age of the Anthropocene”<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n


Listen to the podcast interview with <\/span>Henderson (2020)<\/strong><\/span>Links to an external site.<\/span><\/span><\/a>, <\/span>titled “Reimagining Capitalism”<\/em><\/span><\/span>

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Discussion Prompt <\/h3>\n

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After engaging with the four source materials above, please read and contemplate your Instructor’s introductory comments below:<\/span><\/p>\n

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Throughout this course you’ve have learned about many sociological issues. These topics include: culture, race, class, gender, among many others. Capitalism, as a mode of production, is not only the dominant global economic system, but is a “totality,” to use Marxist author Lukacs’ terminology. A totality encompasses every aspect of our lives and invades all other social relations and institutions. In his lecture, Dr. Lewis addresses the “consumerist” element of contemporary capitalism as it has evolved over the past 40 years. One of his key points is that in order for capitalism to grow, citizens are required to endlessly consume. This not only threatens us individually at a financial level, but threatens the viability of our civilization due to the catastrophic environmental consequences that it entails. In essence, there is an inherent contradiction within capitalism. In order to create, we must destroy. In order to grow, we must cause damage. The concept of “planned obsolescence” suggests that in a consumer version of capitalism, products must be designed to fail and\/or become obsolete in order to drive further consumption. In the quest for increased GDP, we pollute our natural environment. In the search for profit, we lose our connection with nature. We have confused the “good” life with the “goods” life. Can this model continue forever? One important question to consider is <\/span><\/span>how we can manage the impending ecological catastrophe that awaits us within the confines of the capitalist system? Is there a way to salvage the current system by implementing reform to increase the likelihood of our species survival? Or is capitalism itself <\/em>the core problem? As the Covid-19 pandemic took shape, carbon emissions declined by 17% at the peak of the global lockdown in April 2020. However, c<\/span>arbon emissions have surged well beyond pre-pandemic levels as states and countries reopened, which serves as a reminder that climate change continues to accelerate without a fundamental transformation of the consumer-capitalist world system.<\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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After reading your Instructor’s intro comments above, <\/span>please post an initial discussion comment of at least 500+ words for the class. Your comment should be an attempt to integrate the information presented and draw an initial conclusion about this topic\/issue. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Important: All initial and reply posts must include direct (in-text) reference\/citation of the required material using the ASA guide. 
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Your initial post should be focused answering the following prompts:<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n

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