Societalism
A structural configuration of embedded liberalism, neither Capitalism nor Socialism, that hard-codes human rights into the market’s operating system to ensure stability.
The Stabilisation Mechanism: Societalism holds that unrestrained markets are inherently unstable. By hard-coding human rights—healthcare, living wages, education—as fixed market constraints, the state creates an economic floor. This prevents depressions by ensuring wealth remains circulated rather than hoarded.
Rights as Economic Guardrails: The state acts as economic balancer, enforcing rights-based boundaries that prevent corporations from cannibalising their consumer base. It treats human rights as a "biological necessity" for a functioning market rather than optional charity.
The Golden Age Correction: The 1945–1975 era, mislabeled as "Golden Age Capitalism," was actually the Golden Age of Societalism. It used the Embedded Liberalism consensus to reconcile market efficiency with social stability.
The Neoliberal Hijacking: In the 1970s, this was hijacked. Neoliberals stripped away Enlightenment requirements of liberty (for all), equality, and solidarity.
The Stabilisation Mechanism: Societalism holds that unrestrained markets are inherently unstable. By hard-coding human rights—healthcare, living wages, education—as fixed market constraints, the state creates an economic floor. This prevents depressions by ensuring wealth remains circulated rather than hoarded.
Rights as Economic Guardrails: The state acts as economic balancer, enforcing rights-based boundaries that prevent corporations from cannibalising their consumer base. It treats human rights as a "biological necessity" for a functioning market rather than optional charity.
The Golden Age Correction: The 1945–1975 era, mislabeled as "Golden Age Capitalism," was actually the Golden Age of Societalism. It used the Embedded Liberalism consensus to reconcile market efficiency with social stability.
The Neoliberal Hijacking: In the 1970s, this was hijacked. Neoliberals stripped away Enlightenment requirements of liberty (for all), equality, and solidarity.
"The 1970s marked the end of the Golden Age when the center was hijacked, replacing Societalism and Embedded Liberalism with Neoliberalism. This abandoned the Enlightenment mandate of liberty for all, treating the state as a servant to capital.
Societalism by New View May 2, 2026
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