"The great dialectic in our time is not, as anciently and by some still supposed, between capital and labor; it is between economic enterprise and the state"

John Kenneth Galbraith's quote recommends that the significant conflict in modern times is not between capital and labor, as it remained in the past, but between economic business and the state. This suggests that the state is now the main obstacle to financial progress, rather than labor or capital. This is likely due to the increased role of the state in the economy, with governments intervening in markets and providing aids and regulations. This has actually created a stress in between the state and economic enterprise, as the state seeks to manage and control economic activity, while financial business looks for to take full advantage of profits and effectiveness. This tension in between the state and financial enterprise is the excellent dialectic of our time, and it is likely to remain a major source of dispute in the future.