rentism

This chapter explores the concept of 'rentism,' a post-capitalist economic system where wealth and power are maintained through control of intellectual property rather than traditional capital or labor. It discusses how intellectual property laws enable a small elite to monopolize the production of abundance in a highly automated world, extracting rents without contributing labor or production. The chapter also situates rentism within historical and theoretical contexts of rent, property, and scarcity, emphasizing the social construction of property and the political struggles over commons and ownership.

The chapter 'Rentism: Hierarchy and Abundance' explores the socio-economic dynamics of rentism, a system where ownership and control over resources, intellectual property, and automation generate hierarchical power structures despite material abundance. It draws on historical and contemporary sources to analyze how rent-seeking behaviors shape economic inequality and labor relations in a post-capitalist context, emphasizing the role of intellectual monopolies, cyber defense, and automation in reinforcing elite dominance.