Can Capitalism Be Saved?

Neoliberalism represents the nadir of global capitalism - the bottom of the barrel for all but the .01%. But communism doesn't sound so great either- certainly not in a large, diverse nation with so many conflicting interests. The problem with our system now is not necessarily capitalism itself but in how it has been applied as the Solution to Everything. Capitalism is great for business, for building a framework to support technological innovation, for building up a nation's industrial base...but not so great as the foundation of a culture. After all, who would you rather spend a night with, a banker or a philosopher? But who's collecting fat checks and who's barely scraping by? Our culture is doomed unless we put things in perspective. Capitalism is a dead end without a rich cultural tradition that values artists, imagination, innovation of all stripes.
Neoliberalism makes a virtue out of greed because it is morally empty - not only are your fellow humans mere means to an end, but the value of everything is determined by what you can get someone else to pay for it. This is a race to the bottom. We have lost sight of the great thinkers of the Enlightenment - the philosophers who brought us out of the dark ages and who were at that time highly respected for their role in framing a new kind of society. Now, a student announcing he'd like to major in philosophy at university is laughed out of the room. Again, who would you rather have a drink with - John Stuart Mill or J.P. Morgan?
Imagine if our politicians were philosophers - thinkers, problem solvers, people who dedicated their time to finding solutions to the complex issues facing modern humanity - instead of, well, politicians - greedy, venal, morally bankrupt, looking out for #1?
Capitalism has its place - in the boardroom, in the stock exchange, in the shopping mall. But it's no foundation for a functional society.