Dominion and Dharma: Vivek Singhal on Reframing Capitalism Through Consciousness
What happens when a graduate of IIT Delhi and the University of Michigan, steeped in the heart of Western capitalism, begins to feel a "civilizational grief"? For Professor Vivek Singhal, this anguish wasn't a sudden explosion, but a quiet guest that rearranged his mental furniture over 50 years in the United States. His book, Dominion and Dharma, is the result—a provocative call not to reject the West, but to re-remember the East.
Singhal’s journey is one of profound intellectual synthesis. As the first Indian-origin student to complete the University of Chicago's rigorous liberal arts certification, he has served as an adjunct professor and a management advisor. Today, he stands as a sharp critic of "Dominion"—the mindset of conquest and extraction—and an advocate for "Dharma"—the alignment with a larger, interconnected whole.
The Spark of Dissonance
Three core incidents sparked the writing of the book: witnessing the perceived hypocrisy of the Davos elite, standing before the Age of Discovery monument in Lisbon where 'discovery' clashed with the pain of the colonized, and visiting the solar-powered airport in Kochi—a symbol of modern progress rooted in ancient civilizational memory.
Market vs. Mandala: Two Different Worlds
At the heart of Singhal’s thesis is a fundamental incompatibility between the Western capitalistic worldview and the Dharmic perspective. He describes this as the difference between seeing the world as a Market versus seeing it as a Mandala.
Market vs. Mandala Worldview
World as a Market: Life is a transaction. Everything has a price. Identity is defined by what you do—your career, your salary, your brand. Success is about maximizing value by winning, which inherently creates a loser.
World as a Mandala: Life is an interconnected whole. Everything has a place and a time. Identity is defined by who you are and your role in the larger whole. Success is about alignment with purpose (Svadharma) and unity.
The Madira Prototype: The Birth of Extractive Capitalism
Singhal points to the island of Madira (Madeira) as the historical prototype of systemic cruelty. It was here that sugar was first grown using modern ideas of monoculture and enslaved labor. This "minimum viable plantation model" was later perfected through economic theories that prioritize shareholder value above all else.
"We shifted the concept of humanity to capital," Singhal explains. "The idea of monoculture plus slave labor plus export provided the formula for success." He argues that this formula has been exported globally, transforming human souls into surplus labor and muscles into irrelevant cogs in an industrial machine.
Humanitarian Capitalism: Colonialism with a Filter
A particularly biting part of Singhal’s critique focuses on modern institutions—NGOs, global corporations, and tech giants—that he believes continue the legacy of empire under new labels. He terms this "Humanitarian Capitalism" or "colonialism with a compassion filter."
He argues that while these entities may no longer use swords or guns, the underlying "Dominion" mentality—the win-lose approach to growth—remains unchanged. Whether it's the "Davos elite" discussing sustainability from private jets or tech corporations racing for Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) without ethical grounding, the pattern of conquest persists.
The Legacy of Dominion
- Conquest: Historical enslavement and colonization of lands.
- Extraction: Converting natural and human resources into surplus labor and capital.
- Reframing: Modern tech and "compassionate" filters that justify exponential growth at any cost.
AI and the Fidgetital Civilization
Singhal is not a Luddite; he views the merging of humans with AI as a potential step toward what he calls a "Fidgetital Civilization." However, he warns against the "Dominion mentality" driving this race. "If we justify AI by saying 'if we don't do it, someone else will,' we are back to the win-lose mentality."
He emphasizes that while AI can replicate neural networks (which exist in our brain, heart, and gut), it lacks the civilizational memory and dharmic alignment necessary to create a future grandchildren can be proud of. He urges young people to challenge the "Mag 7" mindset of exponential valuation and instead ask: How do we rewire our mindsets for impact, not just exit?
Civilizational Thinking
- 100 Billion Neurons: The firing capacity of the human brain.
- 40 Million Neurons: The firing capacity of the human heart.
- 100 Million Neurons: The firing capacity of the human gut (intuition).
Re-remembering the East
For Singhal, the solution lies in a return to curiosity and the courage to ask "the SOCRATIC questions." He believes that every child starts with curiosity, but the current capitalistic system teaches them to shut down and be "politically correct."
Sacred Responsibility
Reconnecting with Dharma begins with curiosity. Don't accept any system as a "given." Ask better questions, challenge the win-lose framework, and seek a future where innovation serves the human, not just the capital.
Key Takeaways
- Market vs. Mandala: Move from seeing life as a series of transactions to seeing it as an interconnected whole.
- Reframing Success: Prioritize Impact Investing over Exit Investing. Success isn't buying an island; it's creating a sustainable legacy.
- Consciousness over Conquest: Use civilizational memory and dharmic principles to guide exponentially growing technologies like AI and synthetic biology.
- Ask the Questions: Reclaim the curiosity that the industrial and educational systems have stifled.
About the Guest
Professor Vivek Singhal is an IIT Delhi and University of Michigan alumnus, entrepreneur, and author. His diverse career spans management advisory, teaching at the University of Chicago and Phoenix, and deep research into the intersection of Western economics and Eastern spirituality. His latest book, Dominion and Dharma, reflects his 50-year journey as a civilizational researcher in the USA.
Dominion and Dharma is a seminal work that reframes global capitalism through the lens of Indian civilizational memory. It challenges the historical and modern models of conquest and extraction, offering a consciousness-based alternative for a more ethical and interconnected future.