Capitalism has destroyed our belief in any effective power but

The words of George Bernard Shaw cut to the marrow of modern society: “Capitalism has destroyed our belief in any effective power but that of self-interest backed by force.” In this fierce judgment lies his lament that the nobler dreams of mankind—justice, brotherhood, compassion—are too often cast aside, leaving only profit and power as the governing gods. When wealth and weapons speak louder than virtue, men forget that there are higher laws than gold.

For capitalism, in Shaw’s eyes, is not merely trade or enterprise, but a system where gain eclipses goodness. In such a world, self-interest reigns supreme, clothed in fine words like “efficiency” and “progress.” And when self-interest falters, it calls upon force—the armies of the state, the grip of law, the iron hand of authority—to protect its dominion. Thus, the sacred ideals of community and conscience are drowned beneath the roar of markets and the march of soldiers.

History bears witness. In the age of imperial expansion, nations clothed their conquests in the language of civilization and progress. Yet beneath the banners, the true engines were self-interest and force—the hunger for resources, the thirst for markets, the power of gunboats and rifles. The colonized were told it was for their good, but their lands, labor, and dignity were stripped in service of profit. Shaw, seeing such patterns in his own time, declared with fiery clarity that this was not virtue but corruption disguised.

Yet his words are also a summons to awakening. For if capitalism teaches us that only profit and power are real, then humanity must prove otherwise. It must show that solidarity, compassion, and justice are not weak illusions but forces more enduring than greed. The life of figures like Florence Nightingale, who transformed suffering into service, or Martin Luther King Jr., who moved nations through love and nonviolence, testifies that there is indeed power beyond self-interest, and that it can reshape the world without the sword.

Therefore, let this wisdom be passed down: beware the creed that crowns self-interest as king and cloaks it in force. For a society that bows only to gold and violence will one day collapse beneath their weight. But a society that remembers the power of truth, of compassion, of justice, will endure when all empires of profit have turned to dust. Shaw’s words are both a warning and a call—to see beyond the glitter of wealth, and to reclaim the higher powers that make us truly human.