Thirty years after its global triumph, neo-liberalism is an abject failure. While its advocates have suc- ceeded in convincing citizens that no other way is possible, that no left turn can be made without an economic collapse, they have not fulfilled their promises of a better world and the result has been more inequality, insecurity, and speculation. Many have sought solace in collective goals – national- ism, narrow religion, and gender politics – while notions of universal solidarity, idealism, and humanism have all but disappeared. In Capitalism and the Alternatives Julius Grey seeks to rehabilitate economic equality as a funda- mental social goal built on universal values such as individualism, liberty, and even romanticism. To achieve this, he argues, it is necessary to move away from national, ethnic, religious, and even gender loyalties. The importance in each society of common culture and widely accepted moral values, Grey suggests, cannot be overstated. With its rampant political correctness, the modern left seems to have lost sight of morality and individual freedom. While most commentators stake out a partisan position in their criticism, Grey’s notion of individual romanticism as the basis of a socially progressive society and his stress on free will, cul- ture, classical education, and the right to dissent demand an overhaul of both the right and the left. A fundamental rethinking of the social, politi- cal, and economic foundations of modern indus- trial society, Capitalism and the Alternatives proposes freedom from identity, instead of com- munitarianism and tradition, as a condition for liberty and justice. Julius Grey is a litigation lawyer, law academic, human rights activist, and author of numerous ar- ticles and other publications. He lives in Montreal. 3 M Q U P S P R I N G 2 0 1 9 P O L I T I C A L S T U D I E S • P O L I T I C A L E C O N O M Y Capitalism and the Alternatives julius grey A proposal for a new society liberated from the cult of frenetic growth and from multiculturalism and political correctness. S P E C I F I C AT I O N S April 2019 -5,7a755pl7l5SS7n 4phi-lv bAU1 4s-i-lv Dc1 kssi-- $.9ru n B - sha66 0g99T omot.oN.0