From Feedback Loop to Vicious Circle: the Interplay of Science, Economics and Politics in the Age of "Permacrisis"

Abstract

Science, economy, and politics are fundamental pillars of Western civilization, contributing to societal progress through the development of democracy, technology, and capital accumulation. Yuval Noah Harari (2015) describes their interaction as the "feedback loop of the Scientific Revolution", a virtuous but fragile circle that transform itself into a vicious circle: democracy becomes a form without substance, science loses its independence, and capitalism, influenced by technology and corporate interests, captures the state, deepening inequalities and reshaping the essence of social contract. This potential degeneration has been theorized by authors like Chrystia Freeland (2012), who linked it to the rise of global "plutocrats", and Noam Chomsky (2018), who described the concentration of economic wealth and political power taking over the democratic state. The fundamental question is: to what extent has this loop maintained its virtuous quality, and to what extent has it been transformed into a vicious circle, especially in recent crises? What are the causes and consequences of this transformation? This paper analyses the dynamics of transformation on two levels: normative and descriptive, with a case study on Romania in the era of "polycrisis" (Tooze, 2022) and "permacrisis" (Koukakis, 2023). UDC: 001.891:330:32(478)