Daniel Reinholz

Colorado State University, Department of Mathematics

Economic dualism is an economic theory based on the premise that all individuals should be able to fulfill their needs through non-exploitative processes. Dualism is not utopian in that it neither purports to nor intends to solve all problems. Furthermore, it is a structure in which individuals can only benefit proportionally to the effort they input. Nevertheless, it is a structure in which individuals can fulfill their needs in the absence of exploitation, and it provides all of the freedoms that capitalist markets only purport to provide.

Dualism is not anti-capitalist in the sense that capitalism is an evil or enemy that needs to be overcome. Instead, the dualist perspective is that as many benefits as capitalist markets do provide, there is still considerable room for improvement. By hailing and exalting capitalism as the pinnacle of economics it is impossible for these improvements to be actualized. For this reason dualism provides a harsh criticism of capitalism, exposing its numerous flaws and contradictions, so that they can be remedied and improved upon. Nevertheless, dualism recognizes the successes and benefits of capitalism, and makes all efforts to retain and enhance these benefits.

The Dualist Manifesto began as an idea and as a document in March 2004. Over the course of about four years it underwent countless revisions, and finally by January 2008 the core idea of dualism had been solidified and refined. Unless a major lapse in reasoning becomes evident, the core of the manifesto is unlikely to change. This said, there are undoubtedly many ways in which the current document could be improved. It is very likely that some statements may be ambiguous, or not exactly correct. Also, there are arguments that could probably be improved upon. Even so, we feel that it is proper to release the manifesto at this time. The reason for this is simple - the idea, the essence of dualism needs to be shared. Only in this way can the manifesto serve the purpose it was created to.

The Dualist Manifesto