This is a straw man argument. Saying "now everything is a Ponzi scheme" doesn't address his point that we're going to have to start looking at how a global steady state economy will work.
He isn't saying Capitalism isn't the best system, he's saying (precisely as you have said) that it won't last forever in it's current form. That we should start thinking about the repercussions of our current model so when this model becomes unsustainable, we'll already be transitioned into the new.
I certainly see no problem in thinking about our future instead of refusing to look ahead because... well it's going so well right now we shouldn't rock the boat.
Capitalism works just fine in a steady state economy because things break down. Buildings need to be repaired, styles change etc. Just look look at the plumbing industry it can grow or shrink but when your sink is broken and you don't know how to fix it you call someone.
Unless you're suggesting some form of utopia where people don't need to eat and nothing ever breaks. But even then someone is going to setup an MMO and the cycle of pretend money can start all over again.
start looking at how a global steady state economy will work
Err, except that we don't. That kind of thinking is a fallacy, that there is only economic value in tangible items. There is literally (in the sense that it is not bounded by how much stuff there is) no limit on the economic value that can be created through services and intangible assets such as information.
A microprocessor is worth more than the sand it's made from. Where did that value come from?
what the article talks about is not a ponzi scheme... so it's not a straw man, the article may be of merit but any comparison to a ponzi scheme merely confuses the issue.
He isn't saying Capitalism isn't the best system, he's saying (precisely as you have said) that it won't last forever in it's current form. That we should start thinking about the repercussions of our current model so when this model becomes unsustainable, we'll already be transitioned into the new.
I certainly see no problem in thinking about our future instead of refusing to look ahead because... well it's going so well right now we shouldn't rock the boat.