Capitalism and Desire: The Psychic Cost of Free Markets
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- Author：Todd McGowan
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Summary
Despite creating vast inequalities and propping up reactionary world regimes， capitalism has many passionate defenders―but not because of what it withholds from some and gives to others。 Capitalism dominates， Todd McGowan argues， because it mimics the structure of our desire while hiding the trauma that the system inflicts upon it。 People from all backgrounds enjoy what capitalism provides， but at the same time are told more and better is yet to come。 Capitalism traps us through an incomplete satisfaction that compels us after the new， the better， and the more。
Capitalism's parasitic relationship to our desires gives it the illusion of corresponding to our natural impulses， which is how capitalism's defenders characterize it。 By understanding this psychic strategy， McGowan hopes to divest us of our addiction to capitalist enrichment and help us rediscover enjoyment as we actually experienced it。 By locating it in the present， McGowan frees us from our attachment to a better future and the belief that capitalism is an essential outgrowth of human nature。 From this perspective， our economic， social， and political worlds open up to real political change。 Eloquent and enlivened by examples from film， television， consumer culture， and everyday life， Capitalism and Desire brings a new， psychoanalytically grounded approach to political and social theory。
Capitalism's parasitic relationship to our desires gives it the illusion of corresponding to our natural impulses， which is how capitalism's defenders characterize it。 By understanding this psychic strategy， McGowan hopes to divest us of our addiction to capitalist enrichment and help us rediscover enjoyment as we actually experienced it。 By locating it in the present， McGowan frees us from our attachment to a better future and the belief that capitalism is an essential outgrowth of human nature。 From this perspective， our economic， social， and political worlds open up to real political change。 Eloquent and enlivened by examples from film， television， consumer culture， and everyday life， Capitalism and Desire brings a new， psychoanalytically grounded approach to political and social theory。
Reviews
Valentín Serrano García
，
Superb！ McGowan doesn't waste your time and goes to the point: which are the psychic grounds of capitalism？ Why does it survives to every revolutionary attemp or economic collapse？ What can we do to undermine it's logic （which is ours， too）？McGowan， sustaining his discourse on profound philosophical and clinical insights （Kant， Marx， Hegel， Freud， Bataille， Lacan， Derrida or Althusser， amongst others） and highlighting his master on psychoanalitic theory， reflects about the following topics: subl Superb！ McGowan doesn't waste your time and goes to the point: which are the psychic grounds of capitalism？ Why does it survives to every revolutionary attemp or economic collapse？ What can we do to undermine it's logic （which is ours， too）？McGowan， sustaining his discourse on profound philosophical and clinical insights （Kant， Marx， Hegel， Freud， Bataille， Lacan， Derrida or Althusser， amongst others） and highlighting his master on psychoanalitic theory， reflects about the following topics: sublimity and commodities， infinite production， jouissance and consumism， radicality of love against romance， mankind unsatisfied condition， sacrifice within production， the invisible hand and many others。 What is overwhelming， indeed， is the fact that McGowan has synthetized all in less than 300 pages！Once read， it is understandable that Zizek himself has considered this essay a classic。 However， just one advice: this is not a divulgative book。 It demands previous acquaintance with， at least， lacanian theory （theory grounded on clinical practice）。 If not， you could feel lost sometimes。 。。。more
Svetislav Momcilovic
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I love this book。 In contrast to many critics of capitalism， this book has a clear structure。 Plainly defined the never satisfying desires that run modern capitalist societies - the endless accumulation and desires for perfect commodities that lose their value as soon as you have them。 We spend our lives in a continuous and pointless run。 I definitely want to hear more from Todd McGowan。
Ben Albertyn
，
“The excessive packaging of the commodity has an ontological necessity。 As we search for a knife to cut through the annoying packaging， we ask ourselves in the midst of cursing the producer why we must always navigate this excess。 We never take this question seriously， but we should。 The excessive packaging provides the form that invigorates the commodity with the sublimity that renders it desirable。 As we cut through the packaging， we perform an act akin to that of the mystical saint’s moment o “The excessive packaging of the commodity has an ontological necessity。 As we search for a knife to cut through the annoying packaging， we ask ourselves in the midst of cursing the producer why we must always navigate this excess。 We never take this question seriously， but we should。 The excessive packaging provides the form that invigorates the commodity with the sublimity that renders it desirable。 As we cut through the packaging， we perform an act akin to that of the mystical saint’s moment of communion with God， but we do so without the trauma of the mystical rupture。 The commodity embodies the promise of an ultimate satisfaction or enjoyment that would transport the consumer beyond the secular world， a promise that no commodity will ever fulfill。” 。。。more
Maxwell
，
this is the most i have ever fucked up a book with my pen。 loved it。 anyway， on the 96th page， 2nd paragraph， 4th sentence， 2nd word i think you meant 'difference'。 now if you wanted to contact me to for the pod in return for this editing favour， my number is this is the most i have ever fucked up a book with my pen。 loved it。 anyway， on the 96th page， 2nd paragraph， 4th sentence， 2nd word i think you meant 'difference'。 now if you wanted to contact me to for the pod in return for this editing favour， my number is 。。。more
Indiana Clark
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I have so many post it flags between the pages of this book。。。McGowan is so remarkably succinct in examining this tricky subject。 How to lucidly explain what the capitalist system does the subjects psyche？ And what does the psyche do for capitalism？This is such an enlightening book， it revealed so much about human nature and subjectivity
Juhana Karlsson
，
I'm not an expert on psychoanalysis and/or critique of capitalism， but partly because of that I can gladly give this book five stars as my mind was blown so many times that I lost count。The main topic （and the book covers much more than that） is seemingly simple， but it's implications are enormous: capitalism keeps people unconsciously satisfied via constant disappointment， as the subject's satisfaction will always depend on the absence of the object it enjoys。 The trauma of loss and the satisfa I'm not an expert on psychoanalysis and/or critique of capitalism， but partly because of that I can gladly give this book five stars as my mind was blown so many times that I lost count。The main topic （and the book covers much more than that） is seemingly simple， but it's implications are enormous: capitalism keeps people unconsciously satisfied via constant disappointment， as the subject's satisfaction will always depend on the absence of the object it enjoys。 The trauma of loss and the satisfaction hidden therein is obfuscated by the act of accumulation and constant striving for a "better future"， which keeps capitalism going。This was one of the best and most thought-provoking books I've read in a while， highly recommended if you're at all interested in these topics。 。。。more
Blaze-Pascal
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Fitting （Dis）satisfaction into Political Action: McGowan’s （2016） Capitalism and DesireCan we psychoanalyze capitalism？ According to McGowan， we must。 McGowan’s psychoanalytic theory is derived from the most famous psychoanalyst and enfant terrible of France， Jacques Lacan。 Lacan once brazenly remarked to a group of student protestors: “You want a new master; you shall have one”。 By this statement Lacan was suggesting that any form of political revolt which has an ideological agenda solicits a d Fitting （Dis）satisfaction into Political Action: McGowan’s （2016） Capitalism and DesireCan we psychoanalyze capitalism？ According to McGowan， we must。 McGowan’s psychoanalytic theory is derived from the most famous psychoanalyst and enfant terrible of France， Jacques Lacan。 Lacan once brazenly remarked to a group of student protestors: “You want a new master; you shall have one”。 By this statement Lacan was suggesting that any form of political revolt which has an ideological agenda solicits a demand for the true Master of the subject’s desire。 Capitalism and Desire （2016） expands the essence of Lacan’s remark in a metacritique of both liberal and other forms of emancipatory theory underestimating the alluring quality of the commodity。 McGowan might be described as saying: “You want a new master， you already have one， the market”。Todd McGowan’s Capitalism and Desire presents the case that “capitalism has the effect of sustaining subjects in a constant state of desire。 As subjects of capitalism， we are constantly on the edge of having our desire realized， but never reach the point of realization”。 Like the banal sled in Orson Welles’s （1941） Citizen Kane， the commodity is just a place holder， buried beneath mounds of other accumulated commodities。 As subjects of capitalism， we all have similar sleds buried beneath our junk。 We should be aware of the dissatisfaction spectators experience at the conclusion of the film at the realization of the sled’s banality。 The commodity will never fulfill our lack。 However， as neurotic subjects， according to McGowan we cling to our （dis）satisfaction and labor for the fantasy promises that the commodity will offer a way to escape this lack。 It’s not the attainment of the sled itself that is satisfying， that’s why it’s buried beneath junk， but the kernel within it， the elusive objet a， the fantasy sustaining it。McGowan claims that the “essence of capitalism is accumulation” （39）。 Marx was the first to address accumulation and how it creates inequities based on the injustice of the theft of surplus value。 Capitalism and Desire is not about the horrors of capitalism， rather， the psychic reasons we accumulate。 McGowan states that this is the point where psychoanalysis can intervene in capitalism。 By emphasizing that the enjoyment of our alienation is linked to commodity fetishism， McGowan knots together psychoanalytic theory into the capitalist critique， suggesting that any future political action must emphasize the commodity’s （dis）satisfaction。 Challenging Marx’s stance on Hegel， in some ways the “rational is real” for McGowan， and this explains why capitalism feels ‘natural’。 Capitalism surely isn’t cultural， as the adaptability of it to every culture shows it is blind to culture。 Nor is it natural， capitalism is a human phenomenon: no other animal engages in capitalism。 The structure of the subject’s desire precedes capitalism which is why it feels ‘natural’。 Even though the psychic vulnerabilities to capitalism precede the development of it into its form， McGowan claims that the enjoyment of capitalism results from the subject’s alienation to nature through language， therefore the “real is rational”。McGowan’s psychoanalytic-historic lens suggests that capitalism doesn’t create the problem but plays into the psychic vulnerabilities of the human subject as a speaking-being of lack and enhances the problem。 The important insight that McGowan draws from Lacanian psychoanalysis is the structural aspects of language and human subjectivity: “the unconscious is structured like a language”。 That’s not to say that Lacanian subject is just language， rather one could say that it is a structuralist of the real because it is connected to our lack。 The barrier in the world of signification creates a lack at the heart of the desiring subject。 Even though language is our best tool we use to understand the world， it is limited in its capacity to accurately encapsulate reality through the signifier。The relationship between capitalism and language is hidden。 Appearances are deceiving as capitalism distorts reality through the signifier， as it is a result of a divided world by the difference between signifier and signified。 Capitalism isn’t just ideology， but plays into the real， symbolic， and imaginary。 Capitalism is real as it manipulates this relationship between the subject and its own satisfaction by allowing subjects to avoid the trauma of their self-destructive satisfaction and immerse themselves in the promise of the future。 The genius of capitalism， its ideology， lies in how it convinces the subject that it can find satisfying objects， even though it is a necessary loss that remains unconsciously misrecognized: Kane’s sled。The psychic vulnerability to the signifier explains a lot of the phenomena with regards to the development of capitalist ideology and its staying power to incorporate desire and enjoyment。 For example， McGowan claims that privatization of the public world， is so prevalent because it protects subjects from “confronting the traumatic core of their mode of obtaining satisfaction， capitalism allows us to believe that we obtain satisfaction from what we accumulate rather than our unending pursuit of failure”。 With personal satisfaction through accumulation， the public space disappears。 Is the psychoanalytic couch one of the only public spaces left？McGowan also reflects on the role of sacrifice in capitalism。 He states that “instead of flying a plane into a building， all one needs to do to experience the most violent sacrifice is to buy a new iPhone” （162）。 The jarring statement recalls the sacrifices as responses to capitalism， both the terrorist sacrifice of the World Trade Center attacks and the terror on the body of the cobalt miner in the Congo laboring for the elements of your iPhone， are ways the subjects have come to sacrifice themselves in capitalism。 Sacrifice is everywhere in capitalism; capitalism thrives on destruction; however， McGowan suggests that sacrifice is linked to the foundational lack。 Without sacrifice， there could be no enjoyment。 Different cultures found different ways to deal with this foundational loss: sacrifice， ritual， potlatch， all states have resorted to terrorism， war。 This could be described as a death drive。Who is the Other we thus are sacrificing ourselves for？ Psychoanalysis has an answer， Lacan once said， “desire is the desire of the Other’s desire”。 Loss and sacrifice are fundamental to the subject’s experience， and the subject who fails to grasp the necessity of loss is lured by the mystery of the desire of the symbolic Other。 If sacrifice holds a religious quality， then the new God， we sacrifice ourselves for in capitalism is the market， it is the Other， the invisible hand。 However， freedom in capitalism is utterly false。 What Freud contributed to the understanding of Adam Smith’s invisible hand， was that the believer in the invisible hand could be described as a neurotic。 The notion of freedom couldn’t exist without the rise secular realm， it requires a negation of God but leaving him as a determining absence。 It makes a visible hand invisible。 What comes to replace God for the neurotic subject who believes they are free is an invisible big Other。 It tells them what to desire and how。 In subsequent chapters， weaving theory with film and television references， McGowan lays out a Lacanian thread of other ways we follow the big Other as the market to avoid the traumatic encounter with the public， through our desire of infinite accumulation， where we’ve become means and not ends in ourselves， our intimate relations have become commodified， we’ve exchanged love for romance， and the system depends that we cling to the idea of scarcity rather than recognize abundance。 McGowan ends the book reflecting on the market’s “fetishistic sublime” which echoes his friend Slavoj Žižek’s （1989） seminal The Sublime Object of Ideology。 This insight into the psychic lives of subjects means that the struggle cannot be solely based on the enjoyment of the surplus value because capitalism， in contradiction to the repressive hypothesis， demands that subjects ‘Enjoy！’ offering them their desire idealized in the commodity。 By offering them the sublime， it leads to the abject， through the death drive。This portends to the question of political action。 How does psychoanalysis offer us a new pathway in the struggle for freedom from/in capitalism？ Psychoanalysis requires we become responsible to become free， by becoming responsible for our unconscious。 For example， it can offer the basic insight that the end of an international labour movement makes any action today seeking only ideological ends as the symptom of disavowal （I know very well， however…） of historical reality， which is also symptomatic of capitalism itself。 Any future action that takes psychoanalytic insight seriously would need to incorporate the death drive in the commodity’s sublimity: the way the subject invests in their own （dis）satisfaction。 That’s not to suggest that there is no room for labor movements， however the lack of the psychoanalytic insights into the death drive of commodity fetishism in other forms of emancipatory politics either informed by injustice （Marx） or the repressive hypotheses （Marcuse， Reich， and oddly enough Foucault）， could be a cause for capitalism to continue to operate despite them。 The whole truth is that “the real is rational and the rational is real”。 The only way to resist the sublime commodity， is embrace the contradiction and to go through the sublime。 McGowan states that， “if one invests oneself in the promise of the future， through this gesture one accepts the basic rules of the capitalist game”。 Other forms of political action fail， because when you make promises for a future sublime enjoyment （such as Marx’s future enjoyment of surplus value）， you are competing with the sublime commodity which already promises a future enjoyment which is much more psychically appealing and accessible。 According to McGowan， it is this very promise of the future that needs to be abandoned as it is the capitalist fantasy。 Whether this demand takes the form of Marxism （the demand for the enjoyment of the surplus） or repression （the demand for libidinal jouissance）， they are foundationally hysterical， and are demands of the Other to be the true Master of their desire。 You already have a master， the market as the invisible hand of God， and the commodity as the sublime object。The subject’s satisfaction is how it desires， not what it obtains。 In a preface of Das Kapital Marx declared “there is no royal road to science”。 This is true for psychoanalysis as well， if there is a pathway it offers， it is not an easy one， as it thus promises dissatisfaction。 The struggle against capitalism needs to take place around the accumulation of capital which happens in the present， and this requires changing the subject’s relationship to desire。 Any psychoanalytic “cure” needs to incorporate the subject’s relationship to its lost object。 That means that any pathway to political action requires that we recognize that the sublimity of the object is both the challenge and the opportunity。 McGowan claims: “If we recognized that we obtained satisfaction from the failure to obtain the perfect commodity rather than from a wholly successful purchase， we would be freed from the psychic appeal of capitalism”。 What does it mean then to enjoy one’s failure to obtain the real sublime object？ McGowan suggests for a deeper analysis we return to Marx and read Das Kapital volume 2。 ----Review 2023The psychoanalytic critique of capitalism is around accumulation。 Why do we accumulate commodities？ It's because the act of accumulation plays into the subject's lack， we don't actually consume commodities to satisfy ourselves， rather we cling to our dissatisfaction for a future enjoyment the commodity promises us。 We labor， and work， and enjoy， we enjoy what we think the Other wants。 Give up exchange value and embrace use value。 Become means not ends。 Love。 ---Review 2022I started this book several months ago， 7 months？？ And I read about 60% of it and then put it down， and went back and learned more about Lacan， Hegel and Marx。 I don't know if that was necessary， but I think this is an ESSENTIAL book for learning how to traverse the fantasy that capitalism offers its subjects， learning to enjoy rather than accumulate as McGowan states。 So many juicy juicy insights all throughout the book， and I find myself wanting to continue reading Marx Volume 2， and also revisit the Sublime Object of Ideology。 Also， having recently watched Bergman's "Scenes from a Marriage" I was very delighted when I read his chapter on love and all the quilting I was doing with regards to it。。。。 I'm also wondering whether or not in the 2001 Space Odyssey， the monolith is not the sublime object？？ Maybe。。。 need to write more， and read more。 McGowan， you rock。 。。。more
Colin Cox
，
Early in Capitalism and Desire， Todd McGowan suggests， "Capitalism has the effect of sustaining subjects in a constant state of desire。。。capitalist subjects experience satisfaction itself as dissatisfying， which enables them to simultaneously enjoy themselves and believe wholeheartedly that a more complete satisfaction exists just around the corner， embodied in the newest commodity" （11）。 Several important words and phrases in this passage reveal how McGowan thinks about the commodity and how th Early in Capitalism and Desire， Todd McGowan suggests， "Capitalism has the effect of sustaining subjects in a constant state of desire。。。capitalist subjects experience satisfaction itself as dissatisfying， which enables them to simultaneously enjoy themselves and believe wholeheartedly that a more complete satisfaction exists just around the corner， embodied in the newest commodity" （11）。 Several important words and phrases in this passage reveal how McGowan thinks about the commodity and how the commodity within capitalism nurtures， as contradictory as it sounds， satisfaction and， more significantly， dissatisfaction。 A word like "constant " suggests the potential impossibility of a world or state of being beyond the frustrating tension between satisfaction and dissatisfaction as expressed in the commodity form。 To be clear， and McGowan emphasizes this point throughout Capitalism and Desire， it is foolish to imagine some utopia， Marxist or otherwise， beyond frustration and disappointment。 Psychoanalysis argues we are creatures seeking dissatisfaction。 Potentially， this is why so many people， in turn， dismiss or marginalize psychoanalysis。 The question psychoanalysis demands subjects ask is this: how can and should we orient ourselves to dissatisfaction？ Can subjects enjoy dissatisfaction better？The source of McGowan's answer exists in how we relate to the commodity itself and the commodity form more broadly。 From the passage I quote in the previous paragraph: "capitalist subjects experience satisfaction itself as dissatisfying， which enables them to enjoy themselves simultaneously and believe wholeheartedly that a more complete satisfaction exists just around the corner， embodied in the newest commodity" （11）。 This phrase "around the corner" is so critical。 McGowan indicates that capitalism operates by deferring， ad infinitum， the promise of wholeness each commodity within capitalism must promise。 That is to say， as capitalist consumers， we must imagine that each new commodity houses something in itself more than itself。 This process is the essence of commodity fetishism， but this process is also the essence of capitalism's simultaneous satisfaction and dissatisfaction。 McGowan contends that something radical would happen if we stopped imagining that the next commodity， or any commodity for that matter， possessed such power。 He writes， "If we recognized that we obtained satisfaction from the failure to obtain the perfect commodity rather than from a wholly successful purchase， we would be free from the psychic appeal of capitalism" （14）。 And as McGowan contends， psychoanalysis has a part to play in liberating subjects from this psychic quagmire: "All that psychoanalysis can do--the extent of its intervention--is to assist the patient in recognizing its mode of repeating and the satisfaction that this repetition provides" （17）。 Therefore， repetition， and understanding repetition's appeal， is McGowan's primary preoccupation in Capitalism and Desire。 Capitalism offer subjects something akin to "bad repetition。" That is to say， when capitalism has us， we place an outsized and destructive emphasis on the promise of the commodity。 But this promise is a false promise for two key reasons: one， it obscures dissatisfaction's appeal while， two， suggesting that a single commodity （the one any subject finds themselves preoccupied with at any particular moment） will inaugurate an end to dissatisfaction。 Instead， McGowan suggests we shift our understanding regarding dissatisfaction。 He writes， "We invest ourselves psychically （and financially） in new commodities with the hope that they will provide the satisfaction that the previous commodity failed to provide， but no commodity can embody the lost object。 Every object of desire and every commodity will fail。 Capitalism thrives on this failure， and we can never escape its perpetual crises without recognizing this link。 Only the turn from the logic of accumulation to the logic of satisfaction--with an acceptance of the lost status of the object--can move us beyond the crisis of capitalism" （242）。 McGowan's reference to "the lost object" or "objet petit a" is a crucial psychoanalytic concept。 The lost object is the personification of lack within the symbolic order。 Slavoj Žižek， for instance， has described the lost object as "a hole at the center of the symbolic order。" While this object feels real， we must remember the lost object， objet petit a， or the object cause desire （whatever we want to call it）， does not exist。 This object is simply the manifestation of the lack of subjectivity。 Therefore， instead of seeking something beyond or something transcendent， we should turn our attention to the here and now。 McGowan writes， "it is through the banality of the everyday， not in the promised satisfaction of the future， that one discovers the sublime" （243）。 Said differently， "the satisfaction of loss is our driving motive，" not the promise of something beyond loss （244）。 Capitalism works by entrenching subjects in this bad infinite; this promise of something （i。e。， the perfect commodity） beyond dissatisfaction。 Furthermore， I argue we see this dynamic at play in the work of two famous musicians who both rose to varying degrees of popularity in the 1980s: Bruce Springsteen and Belinda Carlisle。McGowan has spoken about Carlisle before。 Her song "Heaven is a Place on Earth" symbolizes the radical potentiality of imagining the transcendent embedded within the banal。 In the song， Carlisle says， "Heaven is a place on Earth / They say in Heaven， love comes first / We'll make Heaven a place on Earth / Ooh， Heaven is a place on Earth。" Carlisle rejects the conventional notion that heaven is some transcendent place beyond the triviality of daily human existence。 For Carlisle， heaven is here， not out there。By contrast， Bruce Springsteen， a musician I have nothing but unwavering affection toward， is the perfect capitalist。 In so many of his songs， he encourages his listeners to reject the banality and triviality of the here and now。 For Springsteen， the promise of the beyond is too enticing。 For example， consider "Born to Run。" Near the end of the song， arguably one of the most popular songs of the 20th century， Springsteen says， "Oh， someday girl， I don't know when / We're gonna get to that place / Where we really want to go， and we'll walk in the sun / But till then， tramps like us/ Baby， we were born to run。" Contrasting Springsteen with Carlslie may help to explain why Springsteen is one of the most successful musicians ever while Carlsie， while successful， never experienced a Sprinsteenian-level of success; Carlslie's promise is a distinctly anti-capitalist promise。 By contrast， Springsteen gives us precisely what capitalism gives us: the promise of a transcendent beyond， but as Springsteen suggests in "Born to Run，" moving beyond is far from what the subject wants。 This is why "Born to Run" ends with dissatisfaction （"Oh， someday girl， I don't know when"） cloaked by a false promise of satisfaction （"We're gonna get to that place / Where we really want to go"）。 。。。more
Sam Stephens
，
If capitalism reduces humanity to mere survival and a constant state of exploitation， why does it continue？ This line of inquiry forces McGowan to contend that critiques of capitalism that begin with injustice and repression fall short。 Instead， we must begin with the psychic staying power of capitalism for human subjectivity。 The power of capitalism lies in the blending of the object of desire （satisfaction through accumulation） with the lost object （peace through recognizing satisfaction in wh If capitalism reduces humanity to mere survival and a constant state of exploitation， why does it continue？ This line of inquiry forces McGowan to contend that critiques of capitalism that begin with injustice and repression fall short。 Instead， we must begin with the psychic staying power of capitalism for human subjectivity。 The power of capitalism lies in the blending of the object of desire （satisfaction through accumulation） with the lost object （peace through recognizing satisfaction in what does not exist）。 Thus capitalism offers the lost object through a bate and switch with the object of desire via the commodity form。 It’s psychic staying power comes through its promise of future oriented success。 The satisfaction capitalism gives to capitalist subjects is the promise of the future which holds happiness and satisfaction in the next commodity—the next iPhone， job， car， vacation， lifestyle， etc。 It is in this fundamental structure of capitalism that our revolutionary criticism needs to be directed。 Thus， when we recognize a） that satisfaction is accompanied by our failure to achieve the lost object through relentless accumulation， and b） that our real motive is satisfaction rather than enrichment， capitalism is well on the way to being abolished。 。。。more
Martin Hare Michno
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A psychoanalytic approach to capitalism。 Interesting ideas， used some in my dissertation。
Ryan
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I can't say I agree with McGowan on a few key points but there is a lot to contend with here and it is a great introduction to several ideas and arguments。 I can't say I agree with McGowan on a few key points but there is a lot to contend with here and it is a great introduction to several ideas and arguments。 。。。more
Woody Woody
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A simply brilliant book that outlines some of the unseen psychological drivers of the market economy。
Hannah
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I read this with a book club and it's the second book of Todd's that I've read。 I do recommend that before you read this book to know a bit about psychoanalytic theory by Sigmund Freud and Jacques Lacan。 The people who struggled the most with the book either didn't know enough about psychoanalysis， or completely disagreed with psychoanalysis all together。 A little knowledge of philosophy （such at Kant's notion of sublime referenced in Chapter 10） is helpful as well。All that to say， I did enjoy t I read this with a book club and it's the second book of Todd's that I've read。 I do recommend that before you read this book to know a bit about psychoanalytic theory by Sigmund Freud and Jacques Lacan。 The people who struggled the most with the book either didn't know enough about psychoanalysis， or completely disagreed with psychoanalysis all together。 A little knowledge of philosophy （such at Kant's notion of sublime referenced in Chapter 10） is helpful as well。All that to say， I did enjoy the book and it made me think about capitalism from a very different perspective: what is the free market doing to our unconscious drives and how we feel satisfaction。 This is not an economics book， nor one that stays on the psychological surface。 In a sense， McGowan notes the genius of capitalism and how it works psychically on us， and why all the past critiques （including Marx） don't hold up。 By noting how well capitalism works， McGowan begins to search out some of its holes within the system and within us。 Overall， it contained some very interesting theories that I will keep in my mind as I search out the next commodity to purchase。 。。。more
Phil
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McGowan has read all the right people， cited all the right passages， and has brought in all the right pieces of art。 Overall， the book is somehow profound while wearing its erudition lightly， a distinctly American achievement at that， and if he were a German， they'd probably force at gunpoint every living Marxist to read his work。 That being said， McGowan needs to kill the whole section of public and private， it reaks of 21st critical ruined by Habermas， who， like many German philosophers， if no McGowan has read all the right people， cited all the right passages， and has brought in all the right pieces of art。 Overall， the book is somehow profound while wearing its erudition lightly， a distinctly American achievement at that， and if he were a German， they'd probably force at gunpoint every living Marxist to read his work。 That being said， McGowan needs to kill the whole section of public and private， it reaks of 21st critical ruined by Habermas， who， like many German philosophers， if not for being German would （and rightfully should） be considered a footnote in human philosophy - it didn't add anything and if it is kept in subsequent editions， I implore the author consider placing it at second or third to last （I nearly always drop books that cite Habermas）。 Aditionally， the sections on sacrifice should be moved up to the second and the section on the gaze is a great appendix， but not core to the argument。 Overall， the book hits all the right notes without putting the cords together。 Basically， McGowan doesn't bring together sacrifice， symbolism， and value in the way he needs to （I'd love to see him bring in Bataille's Eroticism and he'd find the key there）。 He does bring in 1 and 3， but he fails to bring in why the symbolic is important （to just spell it out， as Heidegger showed Technology has a way of revealing the rules of nature in itself， capitalism has its own form of communion - or placing the lost object within itself by symbolically being an ironic promise to the transcendent。 Essentially， we all understand that ads are， at core， somehow ironic or hyperbolic， and thus safe in their theology， and so as McGowan shows there is romance vs。 love， capitalism has the sublime vs。 the satiating， similar comparisons， but by creating a "safe space" to have religion within the holy hand of the market， you create value without emotional attachment， or value without values）。 With all that in mind， it's a fucking hell of a book and probably the most levelheaded assessment of capitalism to date。 I've recommended it to any of my reading friends and will recommend it for years to come。 I deeply encourage the author to consider alternative essay contents / orders and to revisit Bataille's Eroticism to put a bow on the whole thing， but， even without those， it's a tremendous work。This book， physically， however， has a few manifold of defects that need correcting （idk if you're reading this， Todd， but it's urgent）。 The dust jacket feels like what I imagine a worm's skin feels like as it decays， same with the binding on the hardcover。 There are a series of small typos throughout - I didn't count， but it's easily 10 - 15 glaring typos that are just unacceptable for a book of this quality and a publisher of this alleged caliber。 Thirdly， the cover is terrible and embarrassing for anyone who can see or read。 Finally， the publisher information （library of congress info， etc。） is right-justified， which just peeved me off。 。。。more
Grant Black
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one of a few anti-communists worth reading。 his podcast “why theory？” is great too。
Ietrio
，
What people have is desires， and that is sinful。 On the other hand， McGowan has needs， and Society at large has an obligation to pay for his needs， and limit the sinful desire。
Raoul G
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Oh my God！ That was one hell of a book。 It also was one of the most difficult books I ever read。 But， believe me， it definitely is rewarding。 What Todd McGowan set out to accomplish with this book is nothing less than to uncover the hidden driving motive of capitalism。 He does this by analyzing many different aspects of capitalism from a psychoanalytical perspective， drawing heavily from Freud and Lacan。 There are also many philosophical discussions which of course include Marx， but also thinker Oh my God！ That was one hell of a book。 It also was one of the most difficult books I ever read。 But， believe me， it definitely is rewarding。 What Todd McGowan set out to accomplish with this book is nothing less than to uncover the hidden driving motive of capitalism。 He does this by analyzing many different aspects of capitalism from a psychoanalytical perspective， drawing heavily from Freud and Lacan。 There are also many philosophical discussions which of course include Marx， but also thinkers like Hegel， Kant， Adorno and Arendt， just to name a few。 Furthermore he engages with a variety of proponents of capitalism from Adam Smith to Milton Friedman， and uncovers weak points in their theories in a quite convincing manner。 For McGowan the key for understanding capitalism can be found in the second volume of Marx's Capital:“For capitalism is already essentially abolished once we assume that it is enjoyment that is the driving motive and not enrichment itself。”Now， the thing is that Marx does not really unpack this idea in a systematic manner。 This is the task that McGowan seeks to fulfill with this book。 The tool needed to unpack this idea is psychoanalysis:"The resilience of capitalism as an economic or social form derives from its relationship to the psyche and to how subjects relate to their own satisfaction。 This is why psychoanalysis is requisite for making sense of capitalism’s appeal。"McGowan goes into depth explaining concepts like desire， （dis-）satisfaction， （un-）consciousness， the lost object， the Other， fantasy， the gaze and others from a freudian/lacanian perspective and shows what role they play in capitalism。"Capitalism has the effect of sustaining subjects in a constant state of desire。 As subjects of capitalism， we are constantly on the edge of having our desire realized， but never reach the point of realization。 This has the effect of producing a satisfaction that we don’t recognize as such。 That is， capitalist subjects experience satisfaction itself as dissatisfying， which enables them to simultaneously enjoy themselves and believe wholeheartedly that a more complete satisfaction exists just around the corner， embodied in the newest commodity。 [。。。] To take solace in the promise of tomorrow is to accept the sense of dissatisfaction that capitalism sells more vehemently than it sells any commodity。 As long as one remains invested in the promise as such， one has already succumbed to the fundamental logic of capitalism。"Other than the first chapters which are concerned with these and other psychological aspects， some of my favorite chapters were the one in which he talks about the role sacrifice plays for obtaining satisfaction and how this manifests in capitalism， the chapter about God and how God is replaced by "the invisible hand" in capitalism， and the chapter about love。 In the following， one small excerpt from each of those chapters:"Sacrifice appears in the workers’ sacrifice of their time for the production of the commodity， which profits the capitalist in the stead of the workers。 It also appears in the act of consumption， where consumers sacrifice their wealth for commodities that they don’t need。 Sacrifice manifests itself in a hidden form in the production and consumption of the commodity。 Rather than overcoming sacrifice， capitalism secularizes it。 This is the essence of capitalism’s relation to sacrifice。 [。。。] If anyone can obtain a product without sacrifice， it has no value for the subject。。。 In fact， we cannot enjoy without some sacrifice—either of ourselves or of others—because sacrifice is the source of all value。 We value objects through the loss that they embody。 The psychic or financial cost of an object is inextricable from the worth that we assign to it。""Freedom implies the absence of any substantial Other， the lack of guarantees to guide the subject’s choices。 The free subject exists alone with its decisions， and whatever morality it adopts stems from it alone， not from God or from any authorized figure。 [。。。] The market replaces God insofar as it tells us what we should desire。 But it is an improved version of God because it permits us to retain the idea of ourselves as free beings。 Whereas Christian theologians must constantly wrestle with the problem of human freedom in the face of an omnipotent God， the apologist for capitalism never confronts a similar problem because the free market incessantly assures us， even with its moniker， of our freedom。 That is， the capitalist Other， unlike God， doesn’t force us to question how we could reconcile freedom and the Other’s omnipotence， and yet the market relieves us from our freedom much more effectively than God。 God leaves room for doubt， whereas the market rarely does。""Capitalist society’s packaging of love as romance aims at eliminating the disruptiveness of love while sustaining its passion。 This is an impossible task， and the love of the capitalist subject is always a diminished love insofar as it’s safer。 Romance under capitalism is a form of investment， and even a risky investment， as romance sometimes is， remains within the calculus of risk and loss。 Love transcends any calculus and forces the subject to abandon its identity entirely， not simply stake its reputation or its fortune。。。 The risk that occurs in love stems from the status the lover grants to the beloved。 The beloved ceases to be just another object that the lover desires and takes the place of social authority itself。 When I love the other， I want to count for this other more than any recognition that might come from society at large。 I want to matter more than everyone else put together。 For the lover， the other must value her or him not just above all else， but she or he must replace all else as the basis for the calculation of value。 To put it in the terms of psychoanalysis， love demands that the little other take over the function of the big Other。"Sometimes the book gets a bit too technical （at least for me） but even when this is the case， these difficult passages are usually not too long and there are also many examples， like interesting interpretations of movies （this shows McGowan's proficiency in the domain of film theory）， which make for an overall very enjoyable read。 The most important thing this book offers is a lens through which we can look at our lives and the world we are living in。 It offers a way to understand and interpret much of what is going on around us and some of what is going on inside us。 I have found this lens invaluable。 At this point I have to issue a warning: After reading this book you might not be able to consume the way you did before and you might not be able to desire in the way you did before。 And if that happens， believe me， it will be a good thing。 。。。more
Jess
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Really good and interesting read - not wildly new information， but a really revelatory re-framing around Freudian death drive/sublimation/consumption that was amazing to me。 The author made a few weird comments that ignored the context of capitalism and was confusing/didnt really add to the overall argument， but overall super worthwhile read
Shannon
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Challenges you to analyze the way you unconsciously enjoy capitalism。 Yikes。 Then provides a way to resist this！ Amazing and enlightening perspective， but hard to get through at times。 I feel he can be redundant， but it is sometimes helpful to reiterate things in a different way， as these ideas are difficult to grasp。 I read this for a class。
gabrielle b volpe
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I throughly enjoyed and I would read it again。 It's a very clear and well written analysis os capitalism from a psychoanalytical point of view。 It made me read his previous book as well "Enjoying what we don't have。" I throughly enjoyed and I would read it again。 It's a very clear and well written analysis os capitalism from a psychoanalytical point of view。 It made me read his previous book as well "Enjoying what we don't have。" 。。。more
Hani Abu-Khalil
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A critique of capitalism that targets the mechanisms behind the capitalist system and essays to explain why capitalism is such a successful system。 According to McGowan， capitalism mirrors the dark drives and instincts of human nature and buys into our self-destructive tendencies （the death drive known from psychoanalysis）。The concept of infinitude is a central part of this critique， as capitalism has built in it an external infinity that is unsustainable and only goes that far。 We can only harv A critique of capitalism that targets the mechanisms behind the capitalist system and essays to explain why capitalism is such a successful system。 According to McGowan， capitalism mirrors the dark drives and instincts of human nature and buys into our self-destructive tendencies （the death drive known from psychoanalysis）。The concept of infinitude is a central part of this critique， as capitalism has built in it an external infinity that is unsustainable and only goes that far。 We can only harvest the planet as much as it allows and the very ingrained underlying idea of infinite growth and profit is simply unrealistic。Another central notion is that of the object of desire， a concrete object - or rather， an array of objects - that we strive to obtain with one hand， while the other hand tries to obstruct our success， explained duly with reference to aforementioned death drive。 We want all sorts of things - a better job， a bigger car， the new iPhone， a raise - but the capitalist system， and our own psychological constitution， is bound to not let us have the satisfaction of obtaining these objects - and herein lies the actual satisfaction， according to McGowan。 We get a perverse satisfaction out of our own failures， a satisfaction that is just as integral as the satisfaction of having our immediate needs and wants met。Our longing for certain objects are determined by the so-called Other， our surrounding society and our conceptions and assumptions of what society would most like to see us as being/possessing。 A lot of industries help sustain these constant changes in what the Other wants from us and there will always be new ways/objects that help us closer to the goal of meeting the Other's expectations。 The ad industry， for one。This strive also flows over in our love life， where many of us have begun to seek a partner in the same way that we work towards our next object of desire。 We have checklists and clear conceptions of what we want and go out looking for love on the online dating market， objectifying， commodifying the people we ought instead establish a mutually acknowledging and subjective relationship with - at least in order to love with all the ugly drawbacks and defects that it holds。 Capitalism has thus rendered us unable to settle for anything than the mythical - but also nonexistent - perfect object， also in the realm of love。Lastly， capitalism diminishes and devalues the means to the end， if not making the means become ends。 This way， there are no means for their own sake but only means for the sake of the final goal - which does not exist。 The eternal strive towards a goal that always moves and is never reached， thereby becomes a premise of a system that never ceases and sees the value of the existing world but only sees value in "the new"。If we， as McGowan says， "recognize capitalism's dependence on the means and insist on the means for its own sake， we undermine the logic that sustains capitalist production" and then we can rid ourselves of it， looking for another alternative （one that isn't the communism og the 20th century）。A very informative book that builds on top of social constructivism and pays homage to Lacan， Freud， and Marx， but also Milton， Hayek， and Smith。 Complex， compelling， and perhaps faulty， but at least it provides a somewhat new perspective on the toils of capitalism on the human psyche。 。。。more
Phillip
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McGowan makes an interesting argument here， namely that capitalism is actually a deeply satisfying political economic system because it shields us from the truth of our desire， which is that we derive enjoyment not from the satisfaction of our desires but from the failure of our satisfaction。 This sounds counter-intuitive， but it is grounded in psychoanalytic principles。 Namely， the principle that the subject's desire is always the desire for the lost object， which can never be attained within t McGowan makes an interesting argument here， namely that capitalism is actually a deeply satisfying political economic system because it shields us from the truth of our desire， which is that we derive enjoyment not from the satisfaction of our desires but from the failure of our satisfaction。 This sounds counter-intuitive， but it is grounded in psychoanalytic principles。 Namely， the principle that the subject's desire is always the desire for the lost object， which can never be attained within the symbolic order （hence its status as LOST object）。 Instead， the subject substitutes the objet petit a （or objet a） for the lost object， and pursues the objet petit a as if it would heal the subject's castration or self-division。 So far， this is Lacanian psychoanalysis 101。McGowan's big insight is that this notion fundamentally underpins capitalism， not simply in the basic sense that we pursue commodities to try and replace the object petit a （though that is an important component of capitalism's psychic investment）， but more importantly in the sense that capitalism provides a mythos that shields us from the traumatic reality that we are invested in the failure to achieve satisfaction。 According to this book， capitalism utilizes both the death drive--the impulse to put off the possibility of the true satisfaction of our desires in order to remain desiring subjects--and the objet petit a to locate capitalist subjects within a cycle of promised but always deferred future satisfaction。 The teleological logic of capitalism is， here， the promise that in the future desire will be satisfied: desire for abundance， desire for love， desire for the sublime， even， ironically， desire for the revolution which will bring an end to capitalism。 This is one of the ironies McGowan draws our attention to: that when communists， socialists， anarchists， etc。 adopt the teleological promise of a better future （always in practice deferred/deferrable） in exchange for sacrifice in the present， they in fact adopt a capitalist teleology rooted in the structure of the promise。 。。。more
tpg0
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As an AI language model， I am not capable of having opinions。 However， I can provide you with a brief overview of the book 'Capitalism and Desire: The Psychic Cost of Free Markets。' The book is written by Todd McGowan， a psychoanalytic theorist， and focuses on the impact of capitalism on human desire。 The author argues that capitalism not only operates in the economic sphere but also affects our psychological and emotional lives， resulting in the suppression of desire and the emphasis on individualism and competition。 McGowan uses psychoanalytic theory to examine how our relationship with capitalism has influenced our understanding of ourselves， others， and the world around us。 He argues that the constant pressure to succeed and accumulate wealth has produced a culture of alienation and anxiety， which has destabilized traditional forms of community and social bonds。 The book proposes that a new mode of thinking is required to challenge our relationship with capitalism and reclaim our ability to desire。 Overall， 'Capitalism and Desire: The Psychic Cost of Free Markets' is a thought-provoking read for those interested in exploring the psychological impacts of capitalism and its role in shaping human desire。
tpg1
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As an AI language model， I do not have personal beliefs or opinions， but I can provide information about the book "Capitalism and Desire: The Psychic Cost of Free Markets。" The book was published in 2016 and written by Todd McGowan， a professor of film and media studies。 In this book， McGowan argues that the capitalist system is not only detrimental to economic inequality and social justice but also has psychological consequences that shape our desires and identities。 He makes a case that capitalism fosters a false sense of individualism and consumerism， leading to dissatisfaction and anxiety。 McGowan suggests that by recognizing these psychological costs， we can begin to reimagine a new society that promotes collective well-being and social justice。 The book has been well-received by some scholars in the field of critical theory， but there have also been critiques from those who argue that McGowan oversimplifies the complexities of capitalist dynamics。
tpg2
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As an AI language model， I don't have personal opinions or beliefs， but I can provide an overview of the book 'Capitalism and Desire: The Psychic Cost of Free Markets' by Todd McGowan。 In this book， the author argues that capitalism and desire are intimately linked， and that the pursuit of profit and self-interest has a psychological cost for individuals and society at large。 McGowan draws from psychoanalysis and Marxist theory to analyze the underlying structures and dynamics of capitalism。 The author asserts that capitalism creates a sense of lack， encouraging individuals to constantly desire more， and that this constant striving for more is a psychological burden that leads to anxiety and insecurity。 He also explores how capitalism shapes our relationships with others， creating social hierarchies and reducing human interactions to transactions。 Overall， 'Capitalism and Desire' is a thought-provoking read that examines the psychological impact of capitalism， and invites readers to question the assumptions that underpin our economic system。
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capitalism and desire the psychic cost of free markets capitalism and desire – the psychic cost of free markets