Capitalism as a Social and Ecological Crisis: Why Profit Is Destroying the Planet and Deepening Inequality

Introduction: Capitalism as a Sociological Problem

In sociological inquiry, capitalism is not merely an economic system but a total social structure that shapes institutions, social relations, cultural norms, and individual subjectivities. While often defended for its capacity to generate wealth and innovation, capitalism has also produced profound social and ecological crises. From widening class inequalities to environmental collapse and the commodification of everyday life, its consequences raise fundamental questions about social justice, sustainability, and human well-being.

Drawing on classical and contemporary sociological theory—particularly the works of Karl Marx, Pierre Bourdieu, Karl Polanyi, and eco-critical sociologists—this article argues that capitalism systematically undermines both social cohesion and ecological stability. Rather than viewing environmental destruction, inequality, and consumerism as unintended side effects, sociology reveals them as structural outcomes of a system governed by profit maximization, market expansion, and capital accumulation.

________________________________________

Capitalism and the Metabolic Rift: A Sociological Approach to Environmental Crisis

Environmental degradation occupies a central place in contemporary sociological critiques of capitalism. Eco-critical sociology, building on Marx’s concept of the “metabolic rift,” highlights how capitalist production disrupts the material exchange between human societies and nature. For Marx, capitalism separates humans from natural processes by transforming land, labor, and resources into commodities subject to market logic.

In capitalist societies, nature is treated as external to social life—an inexhaustible source of raw materials rather than a fragile ecological system. This commodification leads to deforestation, soil exhaustion, pollution, and climate change. Sociologists argue that environmental damage is not caused by human activity in general, but by specific social relations of production that prioritize economic growth over ecological limits.

The capitalist imperative of continuous accumulation demands ever-increasing extraction and production. As John Bellamy Foster notes, sustainability is fundamentally incompatible with a system that depends on perpetual expansion. Environmental regulations are often weakened by corporate pressure, while ecological costs are externalized onto marginalized communities and future generations. From a sociological perspective, environmental crisis is therefore not a technical failure but a social contradiction embedded in capitalist modernity.

________________________________________

Class Inequality and Capital Accumulation: A Marxian Perspective

Social inequality is one of the most persistent features of capitalist societies. Marxist sociology explains this phenomenon through the unequal ownership of the means of production. Capitalism divides society into classes with opposing interests: those who own capital and those who sell their labor. While productivity has increased dramatically, the distribution of wealth remains deeply unequal.

Capital accumulation benefits a small economic elite, while wages stagnate and job insecurity intensifies for workers. This dynamic has intensified under neoliberal capitalism, characterized by deregulation, privatization, and the erosion of welfare systems. Sociologically, inequality is reproduced through structural mechanisms rather than individual failure.

Moreover, capitalism generates relative deprivation, whereby social inequality becomes more visible and socially destabilizing. The concentration of wealth allows elites to shape political institutions, influence public discourse, and reinforce policies that protect their interests. As a result, economic inequality translates into political inequality, undermining democratic ideals.

At the global level, capitalist relations reproduce dependency between nations. Peripheral economies supply cheap labor and raw materials to core capitalist countries, reinforcing global hierarchies. From a Marxian sociological lens, capitalism thus produces inequality not only within societies but across the world system.

________________________________________

Habitus, Distinction, and Symbolic Violence : Bourdieu on Capitalist Inequality

While Marx emphasizes economic structures, Pierre Bourdieu extends sociological analysis by examining how inequality is reproduced culturally and symbolically. According to Bourdieu, capitalism does not only distribute economic capital unevenly; it also allocates cultural, social, and symbolic capital in ways that legitimize domination.

Consumer culture plays a crucial role in this process. Consumption becomes a marker of social distinction, reinforcing class boundaries through taste, lifestyle, and cultural practices. What appears as individual choice is in fact shaped by habitus—internalized dispositions formed by one’s social position.

Capitalist consumerism imposes dominant norms as universal standards, exercising what Bourdieu terms symbolic violence. Those who cannot conform to these norms are stigmatized, while inequality is naturalized. In this way, capitalism obscures its own structural injustices by presenting social outcomes as personal responsibility.

________________________________________

The Market as a Disembedded Institution: Polanyi’s Sociological Critique

Karl Polanyi provides another essential sociological framework for understanding capitalism’s social consequences. In The Great Transformation, Polanyi argues that capitalism is unique in its attempt to disembed the economy from social relations. Land, labor, and money—what he calls “fictitious commodities”—are subjected to market logic despite not being produced for sale.

This disembedding destabilizes social life. Labor becomes a commodity, leading to exploitation and insecurity. Land becomes a market asset, resulting in environmental destruction. Money dominates social priorities, subordinating human needs to economic indicators.

Polanyi emphasizes that societies inevitably resist this process through social protections, regulations, and collective movements. However, neoliberal capitalism systematically weakens these protective mechanisms, exposing individuals and ecosystems to market violence. From a sociological perspective, the crisis of capitalism is thus also a crisis of social integration.

________________________________________

Consumerism and the Commodification of Everyday Life

Sociology also highlights how capitalism reshapes subjectivity through consumerism. Modern capitalism depends not only on production but on the continuous stimulation of consumption. Advertising and media manufacture desires, encouraging individuals to define themselves through commodities.

This process commodifies everyday life, transforming identity, relationships, and even political engagement into marketable goods. Sociologists argue that consumerism produces alienation, anxiety, and chronic dissatisfaction, as individuals pursue symbolic fulfillment through material acquisition.

Importantly, consumerism depoliticizes social actors. Structural problems such as inequality and environmental collapse are reframed as matters of personal consumption choices, diverting attention from systemic critique. In this sense, capitalism reproduces itself culturally by shaping desires and limiting political imagination.

________________________________________

Conclusion: Capitalism as a Sociological Contradiction

From a sociological standpoint, capitalism emerges as a system riddled with contradictions. Its promise of progress is undermined by environmental destruction, social inequality, and the erosion of collective meaning. Drawing on Marx, Bourdieu, Polanyi, and eco-critical sociology, this article has shown that these problems are not accidental but structurally embedded in capitalist social relations.

The sociological critique of capitalism invites a rethinking of economic organization beyond market fundamentalism. As ecological limits become unavoidable and social inequalities intensify, sociology plays a crucial role in exposing the social foundations of economic crises and imagining alternative forms of collective life grounded in sustainability, solidarity, and social justice.

Sociology does not offer easy solutions, but it provides something essential: the capacity to see beyond individual blame and recognize structural responsibility. In an era of ecological collapse and social fragmentation, critically examining capitalism is no longer an ideological exercise—it is a sociological necessity.

The author holds a Bachelor’s degree in French Literature and works at the intersection of sociology, critical theory, and environmental thought.