True freedom requires transcending capitalism, says Prabhat Patnaik

Capitalism cannot guarantee individual freedom because all actors act under systemic coercion. Marxist economist and political commentator Prabhat Patnaik said true freedom requires overcoming capitalism by creating a system based on collective ownership and true cooperation, free from economic oppression and alienation.

Participating in a discussion on his latest book “Beyond Liberalism”, which offers a Marxist critique of liberalism, in Vijayawada on Friday, the former Economics professor argued that socialism, in which common ownership of the means of production is possible, is the only framework in which true individual freedom can exist.

He said that given the current crisis of neoliberal capitalism and the suppression of freedoms around the world, the need for collective action and socialist transformation is urgent. He said his book challenges two common liberal premises: that liberalism values ​​individual freedom while Marxism does not, and that capitalism provides individual freedom while socialism suppresses it.

“Both claims are false,” he argued, stating that Marxism is deeply concerned with individual freedom and that true freedom can only be achieved through socialism, not capitalism.

Mr. Patnaik, who teaches at the Center for Economic Research and Planning, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, spoke about the Marxist view of the Individual under capitalism. He said that in capitalism individuals do not act freely; they are driven by systemic coercion and competition. He said capitalism depends on a “reserve army of labor” (the unemployed) that will discipline workers through the “threat of job loss.” This creates ‘economic pressure’ as production requires tight coordination without physical force but under fear of unemployment. “Thus, individuals, including capitalists, are ‘alienated and unfree’ and are forced to act by market forces,” he said.