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MENTAL MODEL · M5613

Double Movement

Double Movement
BusinessHigh supportPolitical Economy
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Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30

CORE DEFINITION

The history of modern society is a tug-of-war between two movements: the expansion of the market (attempting to commodify labor, land, and money) and society's self-protection (resisting commodification through legislation, unions, and welfare). Society instinctively protects itself from being torn apart by the market.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

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The return of the pendulum. When market forces become excessively inflated (e.g., 996 work culture, algorithmic exploitation), a protective counter-movement (e.g., antitrust, lying flat trend) is inevitably triggered. Understanding the double movement allows one to anticipate periodic reversals in policy and thought.

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Polanyi's concept in The Great Transformation: the expansion of the free market disrupts social embeddedness, triggering a 'counter-movement'—society defends itself through protective legislation and collective action, resulting in an alternating swing between market expansion and social protection.

MINIMUM ACTION

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Source support: Explicit

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    en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_movementZH · Explicit
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