Marçal’s thesis is that capitalism, as a idealogical most important work, such as child-rearing, caring system, is flawed. And likely now fatally so. for the elderly and sick, housecleaning, chores. Case in point, whilst Smith penned his various While we were able to get away without discussing theories on how the economy works, his mother “ghost work” or as I like to say, “most work,” for a was making his food and washing his clothes. In handful of decades, Marçal argues that the creep his writings, Smith conveniently valued his mother’s has been too great. Capitalism as a system no contribution to the global economy at zero. Her longer behooves our reality. work was ghost work, or what economists call ‘shadow work.’ Marçal argues that, by Smith’s definition, most of the world’s work is ghost work, and entirely left out of economic measures. (So Capitalism = A model that leaves out most work.) This ghost work is also much of society’s 48
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