12.02.2026
Finitude Capitalism: Neoliberalism’s Predatory Turn
with Arnaud Orain & Caroline de Gruyter
On Thursday, February 12, we welcomed two of Europe’s most influential and thought-provoking public intellectuals: Arnaud Orain, renowned economic historian whose work reshapes our understanding of capitalism’s evolution, and Caroline de Gruyter, award-winning journalist and one of the sharpest observers of European politics and the state of the liberal order.
They spoke on the occasion of the Dutch translation of Orain’s new book, The Finitude of the World: Boundless Capitalism from the Seventeenth Century to Today. In this groundbreaking work – prefaced by De Gruyter – Orain argued that while the neoliberal dream of uninterrupted growth has faded, capitalism itself remains very much alive. Its current phase is not unprecedented but part of a recurring historical dynamic: when the world is perceived as finite and its resources limited, capitalism shifts into a violent mode of rapid capture and exploitation. We now see this “Finitude Capitalism” at work in the privatisation and militarisation of the seas, in the rise of monopolistic and rentier trade, and in the encroachment of massive private companies claiming quasi-sovereign control over physical and digital space.
Participants
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Arnaud Orain
Arnaud Orain is an economist and historian, specializing in the evolution of capitalism, economic thought, and historical economic regimes. Since 2023 he serves as director of studies at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in Paris (EHESS). He is the author of numerous books, including ‘The Life of Ideas: The Politics of Utopia’, ‘Les savoirs perdus de l’économie: Contribution à l’équilibre du vivant’ and ‘Le monde confisqué: Essai sur le capitalisme de la finitude (XVIᵉ – XXIᵉ siècle)’.
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Caroline de Gruyter
Caroline de Gruyter is an author and journalist based in Brussels. She is a European Affairs correspondent for the leading Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad, a member of the European Council on Foreign Relations and a columnist for Foreign Policy and De Standaard. She spent more than twenty years covering Europe, from different corners of the continent. In her forthcoming book ‘Zondagskinderen: Europeanen, oorlog en vrede (February 2026) de Gruyter examines what Europe learns – or forgets – when peace can no longer be taken for granted.
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Geert Maarse
Geert Maarse is a journalist and programme-maker. Having worked for Erasmus University for over five years, he is specialized in connecting scientific research to public debate. He has a background in Business Administration and Cultural Studies. He is the founder and regular host of Studio Erasmus, a monthly science magazine broadcasted by OPEN Rotterdam. He worked on a documentary and published in a number of online and offline media (de Volkskrant, Vers Beton, Erasmus Magazine).