The second great transformation: Towards a solidarity society

The double transition to a society based on unfettered capital valorisation, which attempts to legitimize itself by claiming to be a democratic society founded on human rights, can be defined as the first great transformation of the contemporary period. These bourgeois capitalist societies are now in a crisis of their reproduction, integration, rule and security. Three possible scenarios can be discerned: the first attempts to continue the present development (conventional world), the second, the formation of authoritarian fortresses in the centres within an ocean of insecurity and degradation, or, the third, a new transformation to a solidaristic social development. This transformation would begin in capitalism and at the same time point beyond it to a society whose most important goal is the development of free individuals through solidarity-based associations in the economy, in politics and in culture. Its basis would be a solidarity-based multi-sector economy and a participatory democracy. Although the totality of a new society cannot be anticipated, concrete entry projects for a new second transformation can be developed.