The US is not a capitalist society. I am not arguing whether or not the US was a capitalist society, but that the US today is not a capitalist society. Further, the world economy is not capitalist.
An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith lays the foundation for what most people call capitalism. A key notion is that of the "free" market place consisting of buyers and sellers. Not one, two, or three buyers and sellers, but many buyers and sellers. Further the marketplace is free from government.
In 1776 when the book was first published products were simple compared to what products are today. A buyer could look at a product, perhaps try the product out, and make a decision about what the product was worth. Today that is just not possible.
In 1776 there were many sellers of products. Today we live in a world where there are just two sellers of passenger airplanes the size of the 737 and larger. For years the US had just three major automobile sellers, GM, Chrysler, and Ford. Other companies were foreign importers of cars often supported by foreign governments. The number of sellers in the agriculture market is shrinking as well as the middlemen in that marketplace. Some markets like who carries the electricity you use, it makes sense to rely on one supplier. The point is we are not a capitalist society. Whether or not the US was ever a capitalist society can make for an interesting discussion, but does little from the point of view of the future.
The question is where should we go in the future? The US and the world will not move towards capitalism in the future. The advantages of mass manufacturing are just too clear for that to happen.
There has always been a resource problem. Someday people will run out of resources on earth. Either people will have moved on to other planets (I highly doubt despite my love of Star Trek and all the spin offs); people will develop energy sources so that resources can be created at will; or people will manage population. That is all there is. Those are the choices. Say what you will there is a resource problem. We can argue until the cows come home, but soon as Johnathan Swift proposes in A Modest Proposal we will enter the Rod Sterling's Twilight Zone and wonder how To Serve Man.
As I said earlier moving to other planets is not an option. Today we cannot even reach the moon much less habitable planets. That leaves birth management and inexpensive energy development. A better society will manage the population, not through war or genocide, but through birth control. In a better society ALL forms of birth control will be freely available to everyone. Birth control would include condoms, pills, IUDs, shots, rings. . . Further, any male who freely asks for and is given a vasectomy will receive money, say ten thousand dollars. Any woman who freely asks for and is given a tubal ligation will receive money, say two-hundred=and-fifty thousand dollars. Abortions would be given on demand, however, all women who receive an abortion would be offered counseling to deal with the emotions involved. I believe with such measures and no government interference, that population will shrink and society can decide on a sustainable level of population where all can pursue happiness and largely be happy.
The second critical activity for a better society is to develop inexpensive energy. Burning carbon is extremely expensive. Already global warming has had an impact on the climate, including more precipitation in some areas and more dry spells in others. Single weather events should not be attributed to global warming, but when looking at the significant weather events this year, there can be little doubt that global warming is happening. There is too much rain, too much snow, too many dry spells (look at the fires in Russia), just too much catastrophic weather for one to ignore global warming. Combine this with shrinking glaciers and ever warming oceans, and one cannot ignore global warming.
I often wonder at those who talk about renewable energy. There is no such thing. Most of the world's energy either came or comes from the sun. The sun is not renewable. Someday the sun will burn out, just not today or tomorrow. But, hopefully we humans will still exist and have developed faster than light space travel before then. If you do not believe that can be done, just remember at one time people didn't think faster than light communication could be done. Quantum entanglement suggests that it is possible. Who knows what the future will hold.
Until society needs to worry about the sun dies, we need to develop inexpensive energy. Wind power, hydroelectric power, solar cells, more efficient energy usage, and improvements in carbon capture (photosynthesis, and other means of removing CO2 from the atmosphere) all need to be improved upon and better utilized. More efficient energy usage is also key and can be accomplished by more efficient electric appliances, electric automobiles, mass transit, rail, and urban living. Just living closer together can reduce energy needs. All of this will be done in a post capitalist society.
Computing and digital communication will have the most impact in a better society. Many things from cleaning homes to manufacturing will be done either with the aid of robots or through robots alone. People will still be necessary to care for other people. In a better society much more time will be spent by adults caring for their children. More time will be spent taking care of the elderly. More time will be spent taking care of the sick. More time will be spent taking care of each other. The result will be a great reduction in health problems. Imagine being able to exercise every day with friends. Imagine being able to talk to people about your problems when you need to. All of this will be possible in a better society.
But the biggest change will be the lack of greed. People will not need more of anything. Money will no longer be necessary to get one's needs taken care of. That will be the most dramatic change.
As Shakespeare wrote:
To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them?
We we be a better society or are we forever doomed?