In this fascinating work of cultural theory and philosophy, Robert Pfaller explores the hidden cost of our contemporary approach to pleasure, belief and illusion.
Sports, design, eroticism, social intercourse and games-indeed, all those aspects of our culture commonly deemed "pleasurable"-seem to require beliefs that many regard as illusory. But in considering themselves above the self-deceptions of the crowd, those same sceptics are prone to dismissing a majority of the population as naive or misguided. In doing so, they create a false opposition between the 'simple' masses and their more enlightened rulers. And this dichotomy then functions as an ideological support for neoliberal government: citizens become irrational victims, to be ruled over by a protective security state. What initially appears to be a universal pleasure principle-the role of "anonymous illusions" in mass culture-in this way becomes a rationale for dismantling democracy.
- 288 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
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Topic
PhilosophySubtopic
Social PhilosophyTable of contents
- Cover Page
- Halftitle Page
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Contents
- Introduction
- Chapter One: Interpassivity: Fleeing from Enjoyment, and the Objective Illusion
- Chapter Two: Belief: Octave Mannoni and the Two Forms of Conviction, Croyance and Foi (‘Belief’ and ‘Faith’)
- Chapter Three: Play: Johan Huizinga - The Suspended Illusion and Sacred Seriousness
- Chapter Four: The Condition for Greater Fascination: Ambivalence - ‘Knowledge’ is Hatred
- Chapter Five: Dialectics: Sigmund Freud - Ambivalence and the Loss of Play in Culture
- Chapter Six: The Pleasure Principle: All Cultural Enjoyment is ‘Fetishistic’ – The Other’s Illusion: Civilization and Its Contentments
- Chapter Seven: Asceticism: Ascetic Ideals and Reactionary Masses – On the Organization of the Libido in Belief and Faith
- Chapter Eight: Happiness: Happiness and Its Obstacles: One’s Own Illusions
- Chapter Nine: Appearance: The Invisible Other – Theory of the Naive Observer
- Index
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Yes, you can access On the Pleasure Principle in Culture by Robert Pfaller in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Philosophy & Social Philosophy. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.