---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But if capitalism had built up science as…"
description: "\"But if capitalism had built up science as a productive force, the very character of the new mode of production was serving to make capitalism itself un..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c5/john-desmond-bernal-14871_built_but-if-capitalism-had-built-up-science-a_340313.jpg"
---

#  But if capitalism had built up science as a productive…

![“But if capitalism had built up science as a productive force, the very character of the new mode of production was serving to make capitalism itself unnecessary.” quote by John Desmond Bernal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c5/john-desmond-bernal-14871_built_but-if-capitalism-had-built-up-science-a_340313.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c5/john-desmond-bernal-14871_built_but-if-capitalism-had-built-up-science-a_340313.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c5/john-desmond-bernal-14871_built_but-if-capitalism-had-built-up-science-a_340313.jpg)

> “But if capitalism had built up science as a productive force, the very character of the new mode of production was serving to make capitalism itself unnecessary.”

[John Desmond Bernal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-desmond-bernal/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

If capitalism had fully harnessed science, it would have made itself obsolete.

**In simple terms:** Capitalism could become unnecessary through scientific progress.

Key Takeaway

Science can transform economic systems.

Themes

science economics technology progress capitalism

Mood

analytical critical

Type

philosophical economic

When to use this quote

- industrial policy
- research funding
- innovation hubs
- education reform

Key Concepts

Productive force technological determinism systemic change

Questions to Reflect On

- What mechanisms ensure scientific benefits are shared?
- How can we prevent new forms of exploitation?

A Different Perspective

Science alone may not replace entrenched interests.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Capitalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capitalism/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Economics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economics/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/)

## Related quotes

> [We're subject to the same forces of capitalism that have built the entire American economy. Strong returns induce more capital flow, which creates more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-c-griffin/we-re-subject-to-the-same-forces-of-capitalism-that-have-built-the/)

[Kenneth C. Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-c-griffin/)

> [We have deluded ourselves into believing the myth that capitalism grew and prospered out of the Protestant ethic of hard work and sacrifices. Capitalism…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/we-have-deluded-ourselves-into-believing-the-myth-that-capitalism/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [“If there is to be no ceiling on the amount of money a man can take out of our economy, then concomitantly there can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/if-there-is-to-be-no-ceiling-on-the-amount-of-money-a-man-can-take/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [The challenge of our generation, whether it's young lawyers, young investment bankers, is to make capitalism work for people not just around the corner,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kabir-sehgal/the-challenge-of-our-generation-whether-it-s-young-lawyers-young/)

[Kabir Sehgal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kabir-sehgal/)

> [We need to have financial literacy in America, not just complaining about obstructionism. We need solutions. And I think the solutions are using high…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kabir-sehgal/we-need-to-have-financial-literacy-in-america-not-just-complaining/)

[Kabir Sehgal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kabir-sehgal/)

> [I'd be the first to agree that capitalism bestows its blessings unevenly. But that wouldn't persuade me to think it was a good idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-bogle/i-d-be-the-first-to-agree-that-capitalism-bestows-its-blessings/)

[John C. Bogle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-bogle/)

> [WikiLeaks is designed to make capitalism more free and ethical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/wikileaks-is-designed-to-make-capitalism-more-free-and-ethical/)

[Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/)

> [I still believe that workers must be the basic force which must organize and eventually transform society (along with peasants in poor countries). This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/i-still-believe-that-workers-must-be-the-basic-force-which-must/)

[Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/)

> [It is my idea to make capitalism create socialism in China so that these two economic forces of human evolution will work side by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-yat-sen/it-is-my-idea-to-make-capitalism-create-socialism-in-china-so-that/)

[Sun Yat-sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-yat-sen/)

> [For fantasy is true, of course. It isn't factual, but it is true. Children know that. Adults know it too, and that is precisely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/for-fantasy-is-true-of-course-it-isn-t-factual-but-it-is-true/)

[Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/)

> [“The waste of any resource is unnecessary and deplorable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-redhead/the-waste-of-any-resource-is-unnecessary-and-deplorable/)

[Steven Redhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-redhead/)

> [Most neuroses and some psychoses can be traced to the unnecessary and unhealthy habit of daily wallowing in the troubles and sins of five…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/most-neuroses-and-some-psychoses-can-be-traced-to-the-unnecessary-and/)

[Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/)

> [My illness is one often characterized by dramatic overspending - in my case through frenzied shopping sprees, credit card abuse, excessive hoarding of unnecessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-behrman/my-illness-is-one-often-characterized-by-dramatic-overspending-in-my/)

[Andy Behrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-behrman/)

> [“That's tragic, also unfortunate, and often illegal. More importantly, it's also unnecessary.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-eastham/that-s-tragic-also-unfortunate-and-often-illegal-more-importantly-it/)

[Chad Eastham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-eastham/)

> [There are times when we can feel destiny close around us like a fist around a doorknob. Sure, we can resist. But a knob…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/there-are-times-when-we-can-feel-destiny-close-around-us-like-a-fist/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

## More by John Desmond Bernal

> [Naturalism aimed at giving the primitive wishes full play but failed because these wishes are too primitive, too infantile, too inconsistent with themselves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-desmond-bernal/naturalism-aimed-at-giving-the-primitive-wishes-full-play-but-failed/)

[John Desmond Bernal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-desmond-bernal/)

> [A part of sexuality may go to research, and a much larger part must lead to aesthetic creation. The art of the future will,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-desmond-bernal/a-part-of-sexuality-may-go-to-research-and-a-much-larger-part-must/)

[John Desmond Bernal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-desmond-bernal/)

> [We shall be forced to attempt planned and directed research employing hundreds of workers for many years, and this cannot be done without risking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-desmond-bernal/we-shall-be-forced-to-attempt-planned-and-directed-research-employing/)

[John Desmond Bernal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-desmond-bernal/)

> [We are still too close to the birth of the universe to be certain about its death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-desmond-bernal/we-are-still-too-close-to-the-birth-of-the-universe-to-be-certain/)

[John Desmond Bernal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-desmond-bernal/)

> [If science were communism, was it also not possible that communism could itself become a science?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-desmond-bernal/if-science-were-communism-was-it-also-not-possible-that-communism/)

[John Desmond Bernal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-desmond-bernal/)

> [ The problem \[of specialization\] is essentially that of communications to an army in action. After a rapid advance communications become disorganized, and there is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-desmond-bernal/the-problem-of-specialization-is-essentially-that-of-communications/)

[John Desmond Bernal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-desmond-bernal/)

> [Life is a partial, continuous, progressive, multiform and conditionally interactive self-realization of the potentialities of atomic electron states.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-desmond-bernal/life-is-a-partial-continuous-progressive-multiform-and-conditionally/)

[John Desmond Bernal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-desmond-bernal/)

> [The region of the mysterious is rapidly shrinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-desmond-bernal/the-region-of-the-mysterious-is-rapidly-shrinking/)

[John Desmond Bernal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-desmond-bernal/)

> [Published papers may omit important steps and the memory of men of science, even the greatest, is sadly fallible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-desmond-bernal/published-papers-may-omit-important-steps-and-the-memory-of-men-of/)

[John Desmond Bernal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-desmond-bernal/)

> [ \[In eighteenth-century Britain\] engineers for the most began as simple workmen, skilful and ambitious but usually illiterate and self-taught. They were either millwrights like… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-desmond-bernal/in-eighteenth-century-britain-engineers-for-the-most-began-as-simple/)

[John Desmond Bernal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-desmond-bernal/)

> [Religious suffering is at once the expression of real suffering and a protest against real suffering. Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-desmond-bernal/religious-suffering-is-at-once-the-expression-of-real-suffering-and-a/)

[John Desmond Bernal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-desmond-bernal/)

> [Men will not be content to manufacture life: they will want to improve on it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-desmond-bernal/men-will-not-be-content-to-manufacture-life-they-will-want-to-improve/)

[John Desmond Bernal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-desmond-bernal/)

> [The present aristocracy of western culture, at the moment when it most clearly dominates the world, is being imitated rapidly and successfully in every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-desmond-bernal/the-present-aristocracy-of-western-culture-at-the-moment-when-it-most/)

[John Desmond Bernal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-desmond-bernal/)

> [As experimentation becomes more complex, the need for the co-operation in it of technical elements from outside becomes greater and the modern laboratory tends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-desmond-bernal/as-experimentation-becomes-more-complex-the-need-for-the-co-operation/)

[John Desmond Bernal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-desmond-bernal/)

> [We academic scientists move within a certain sphere, we can go on being useless up to a point, in the confidence that sooner or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-desmond-bernal/we-academic-scientists-move-within-a-certain-sphere-we-can-go-on/)

[John Desmond Bernal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-desmond-bernal/)

[Explore all 45 John Desmond Bernal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-desmond-bernal/)

## More Built quotes

> [It's really fun and challenging to build things that have never been built before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mason/it-s-really-fun-and-challenging-to-build-things-that-have-never-been/)

[Hilary Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mason/)

> [Astronomers have built telescopes which can show myriads of stars unseen before; but when a man looks through a tear in his own eye,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/astronomers-have-built-telescopes-which-can-show-myriads-of-stars/)

[Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/)

> [So I concentrated on the rhythmic side of things, and therefore left a lot of holes. I didn't want to use big pad chords…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/midge-ure/so-i-concentrated-on-the-rhythmic-side-of-things-and-therefore-left-a/)

[Midge Ure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/midge-ure/)

> [France has not only built a bureaucratic barrier against American culture, it has constructed a notorious intellectual case against it as well. The French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/france-has-not-only-built-a-bureaucratic-barrier-against-american/)

[Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/)

> [Most startups are not just built for the person who is using them. When you do that, every now and then you get really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmett-shear/most-startups-are-not-just-built-for-the-person-who-is-using-them/)

[Emmett Shear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmett-shear/)

> [Call me the rap assassinator / rhymes rugged and built like Schwarzenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raekwon/call-me-the-rap-assassinator-rhymes-rugged-and-built-like/)

[Raekwon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raekwon/)

> [Do we make ourselves into what we become or is it built into our genes, into the fate spun for us by whatever shapes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-bruchac/do-we-make-ourselves-into-what-we-become-or-is-it-built-into-our/)

[Joseph Bruchac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-bruchac/)

> [Democracy must be built through open societies that share information. When there is information, there is enlightenment. When there is debate, there are solutions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atifete-jahjaga/democracy-must-be-built-through-open-societies-that-share-information/)

[Atifete Jahjaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atifete-jahjaga/)

> [The dark ages still reign over all humanity, and the depth and persistence of this domination are only now becoming clear. This Dark Ages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-buckminster-fuller/the-dark-ages-still-reign-over-all-humanity-and-the-depth-and/)

[R. Buckminster Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-buckminster-fuller/)

> [God and I have built an immense fire together. We keep each other happy and warm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hafez/god-and-i-have-built-an-immense-fire-together-we-keep-each-other/)

[Hafez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hafez/)

> [When we built Roomba, we explicitly designed it to not have a face. We didn't want to think it was cute; we wanted people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-angle/when-we-built-roomba-we-explicitly-designed-it-to-not-have-a-face-we/)

[Colin Angle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-angle/)

> [Winning a competition in architecture is a ticket to oblivion. It's just an idea. Ninety-nine per cent never get built](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-libeskind/winning-a-competition-in-architecture-is-a-ticket-to-oblivion-it-s/)

[Daniel Libeskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-libeskind/)

> [Good churches are not built by bad men; at least, there must be probity and enthusiasm somewhere in the society. These minsters were neither…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/good-churches-are-not-built-by-bad-men-at-least-there-must-be-probity/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Mostly what I'm focused on is finding people who are younger who haven't built companies before but have a good idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hughes/mostly-what-i-m-focused-on-is-finding-people-who-are-younger-who/)

[Chris Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hughes/)

> [“Imagine what I could have done in ten years. I could have learned to speak Japanese. I could have played every RPG video game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/imagine-what-i-could-have-done-in-ten-years-i-could-have-learned-to/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

Browse all 3,164 Built quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "But if capitalism had built up science as a productive force, the very character of the new mode of production was serving to make capitalism itself unnecessary.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Desmond Bernal"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-desmond-bernal/but-if-capitalism-had-built-up-science-as-a-productive-force-the-very/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Built"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-desmond-bernal/but-if-capitalism-had-built-up-science-as-a-productive-force-the-very/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c5/john-desmond-bernal-14871_built_but-if-capitalism-had-built-up-science-a_340313.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c5/john-desmond-bernal-14871_built_but-if-capitalism-had-built-up-science-a_340313.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c5/john-desmond-bernal-14871_built_but-if-capitalism-had-built-up-science-a_340313.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“But if capitalism had built up science as a productive force, the very character of the new mode of…” — John Desmond Bernal",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "John Desmond Bernal",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-desmond-bernal/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "But if capitalism had built up...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-desmond-bernal/but-if-capitalism-had-built-up-science-as-a-productive-force-the-very/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-desmond-bernal/but-if-capitalism-had-built-up-science-as-a-productive-force-the-very/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```