- 288 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
About this book
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.
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.
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Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
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 one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.
Information
Table 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