Mastering the Universe
The Obscene Wealth of the Ruling Class, What They Do with Their Money, and Why You Should Hate Them Even More
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Haymarket Books
Published:20th Aug '24
Should be back in stock very soon
This paperback is available in another edition too:
- Hardback£60.00(9798888901243)

In Mastering the Universe, Rob Larson critiques the wealthy elite, examining their moral failings and the societal impacts of extreme wealth inequality.
In Mastering the Universe, economist Rob Larson employs a blend of humor, righteous indignation, and incisive analysis to explore the extravagant lifestyles and moral failings of the ultra-wealthy. He delves into the staggering amounts of wealth amassed by billionaires, shedding light on the stark contrasts between their lives and those of the average person. Larson's examination reveals the moral bankruptcy that often accompanies such wealth, questioning the societal structures that allow this disparity to persist.
As Larson highlights, we live in an era marked by extreme inequality, a fact that is becoming increasingly recognized. With the wealthiest individuals dominating our economic landscape, he poses essential questions about their true identities and the means by which they have acquired their fortunes. Through a critical lens, he scrutinizes how these individuals maintain their power, often at the expense of the broader society.
Using tools of analysis typically reserved for the elite, Larson presents a compelling argument against the status quo. He emphasizes that understanding the wealth gap is only the beginning; the true implications of this disparity extend to the degradation of our society and the environment. As crises unfold globally, from environmental disasters to public health emergencies, Larson argues that the time has come to reconsider our economic systems and take decisive action to address these pressing issues in Mastering the Universe.
Praise for Bit Tyrants:
"Highly informed, lively and readable, this is a badly needed study of the giant high tech corporations that increasingly dominate the means of work and social interaction, amass and scrutinize the details of our lives, seek to shape attitudes and behavior, and like the great virtual monopolies of the past both rely on state power and heavily influence it. Beyond exposing the nature of this awesome and threatening system.” —Noam Chomsky
"Today's tech giants control technologies that have suffused our lives, and they have generated a self-glorifying mythology and hype to match. Rob Larson's Bit Tyrants helps puncture this ideological reality-distortion field, providing a guide to monopolistic giants like Amazon and Google, as they transform labor, politics, war and more. He does all this with a sarcastic wit that will bring a smile to anyone who has cursed the malign influence of these companies and their plutocratic rulers on 21st Century life." —Peter Frase, author of Four Futures
"Larson’s book makes an effective case that economic exploitation under capitalism has derailed the achievement of full human freedom for far too long." —Z Network
ISBN: 9798888900857
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
240 pages