Mar 10, 2025
Todd McGowan joins the show once again, this time to discuss his
newest book "Pure
Excess: Capitalism and the Commodity". Together, he and Breht
discuss commodity fetishism, the tensions between Marxism and
psychoanalysis, what a critique of the subjective aspects of
capitalism offers anti-capitalist politics, the "superstructural
malaise" of late capitalism, Desire and Lack, capitalism's death
drive, how to resist becoming a neoliberal subject, and much
more.
"Drawing on psychoanalytic theory, McGowan shows how the production
of commodities explains the role of excess in the workings of
capitalism. Capitalism and the commodity ensnare us with the image
of the constant fulfillment of our desires―the seductive but
unattainable promise of satisfying a longing that has no end. To
challenge this system, McGowan turns to art, arguing that it can
expose the psychological mechanisms that perpetuate capitalist
society and reveal the need for limits. Featuring lively writing
and engaging examples from film, literature, and popular culture,
Pure Excess uncovers the hidden
logic of capitalism―and helps us envision a noncapitalist life in a
noncapitalist society."
Check out all our other episodes with Todd HERE
Check out Todd's podcast Why Theory? on your preferred podcast app!
Outro Song: I Want to Work Less by Grand Commander
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