Brett Scott | The Contradiction at the Heart of Capitalism

Liberal capitalism tells us to be good and bad at the same time—innovate, compete, and care. In this episode, I talk with economic anthropologist Brett Scott, author of "Cloudmoney: Cash, Cards, Crypto and the War for Our Wallets", about the failure of liberal reformism, the rise of tech-fueled authoritarianism, and how the ESG illusion collapsed into the culture wars. In this episode of Liminal News, I speak with Brett Scott about what he calls "the contradiction at the heart of capitalism." We unpack how liberal capitalism's moral split—between ruthless competition and moral virtue—has produced both guilt and confusion across modern society. Brett traces the lineage of "good capitalism" from ESG investing to tech-driven "effective altruism," and explains how the right wing and figures like Trump, Musk, and Thiel have exploited that contradiction. We dive into the symbolic death of liberalism, the collapse of reformist fantasies like "stakeholder capitalism," and the rise of a new authoritarian capitalism cloaked in techno-utopian ideals. Later, Brett explores how crypto, stablecoins, and private tech empires are reshaping global power—and what a truly progressive, peer-to-peer alternative might look like. 👉About: Brett Scott is an author, economic anthropologist, and journalist exploring the intersections of money, power, and technology. He's the author of "Cloudmoney: Cash, Cards, Crypto and the War for Our Wallets" and writes the Substack Altered States of Monetary Consciousness. His latest work examines the politics of cash, digital finance, and the psychological architecture of capitalism. 📺 YouTube: / @brettscott 📰 Substack: https://www.asomo.co/ ================================== Please subscribe to the LIminal News Substack Newsletter! https://substack.com/@danielpinchbeck Please buy my books! https://tinyurl.com/mrsmtpwv Please join my online seminars and community at THE LIMINAL INSTITUTE: www.liminal.news Instagram: @danielpinchbeck Official Website: www.pinchbeck.io/ #LiminalNews #BrettScott #DanielPinchbeck #Liberalism #Capitalism #Crypto #ESG #PeterThiel #ElonMusk #MarcAndreessen #TechIdeology #Authoritarianism #Fascism #Cloudmoney #Finance #AI #Politics #Utopia #Dystopia #SurveillanceCapitalism