A POSTCAPITALIST PARADIGM: THE COMMON GOOD OF ...

tween concern for social justice, respect for nature and political organization
(cited by E. Gudynas, 2011, 9). The economist Pedro Páez, former
Minister of Finance and member of the UN Stiglitz Commission on
the international financial crisis, speaks of “living life to the full” (Pedro
Páez, 2011, 7).
As can be seen, in these discourses there is a considerable amount of
interpretation in light of contemporary concerns, as well as the use of a
vocabulary that differs from that used by the indigenous people. It indicates
that the functions of the concept go beyond the work of recovering
memory.
If we turn to the notion of suma qamaña of the Aymaras of Bolivia, we
can also cite various authors. David Chopquehuanca refers to the contrast
between ‘vivir bien’ (living well) and “vivir mejor” (better living)
which, because of its desire to consume always more, has brought
about the deviations of the capitalist system. In contrast, the suma qamaña
represents social complementariness, refusing exclusion and discrimination,
and seeking the harmony of humanity with ‘Mother Earth’,
respecting the laws of nature. All this constitutes a culture of life, rather
than a culture of death (D. Choquehuanca, 2010, 57-74). For Simón Yamparo,
this notion is part of the Aymara philosophy that demands harmony
between the material and the spiritual, integral well-being, a holistic and
harmonious conception of life (text of 2001, cited by E. Gudynas, 2011,
6). Maria Eugenia Choque Quispe used another concept: suma jakaña
which concentrates on dietary satisfaction, ensuring by the control of
production, the fulfilment of life to its utmost and the development of
the peoples (text of 2010, cited by E. Gudynas, 2011, 6).
The main theoretician of suma qamaña is without doubt the anthropologist
Xabier Abo, S.J., for whom it means “to live together well” (and
not to live better than others). It is not only a question of material goods,
but also spiritual ones. It is first necessary to satisfy local needs, living
together with Mother Earth and with reciprocity and affection for others.
“Vivir bien implies access and use of material goods in harmony with
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