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Infinite Greed
The Inhuman Selfishness of Capital
Brief Description
Selfishness is essential to capitalism—or so both advocates and opponents claim. In Infinite Greed, Adrian Johnston argues that this consensus is mistaken. Through a novel synthesis of Marxism and psychoanalysis, he reveals how the relentless pursuit of profits is not fundamentally animated by human acquisitiveness. Instead,...
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Infinite Greed
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Through a novel synthesis of Marxism and psychoanalysis, Adrian Johnston reveals how the relentless pursuit of profits is not fundamentally animated by human acquisitiveness.
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Description
Selfishness is essential to capitalism—or so both advocates and opponents claim. In Infinite Greed, Adrian Johnston argues that this consensus is mistaken. Through a novel synthesis of Marxism and psychoanalysis, he reveals how the relentless pursuit of profits is not fundamentally animated by human acquisitiveness. Instead, capitalism's strange "infinite greed" demands that individuals sacrifice their pleasures, their well-being, and even themselves to serve inhuman capital.
Johnston traces the mechanisms that compel capitalist subjects to obey the cold imperative to accumulate in perpetuity and without limits—and also without regard for the consequences for everyone and everything else. Facing crises such as spiralling wealth inequality and the profit-driven prospect of a looming ecological apocalypse, the rational self-interest of the majority would seem to dictate putting a stop to capitalist accumulation. By bringing together the Marxian critique of political economy with psychoanalytic metapsychology, Johnston shows why and how capitalism, rather than being responsive to people's rationally selfish interests, disregards and overrides them instead.
Unlike previous syntheses of Marxism and psychoanalysis, Infinite Greed pairs Freudian and Lacanian concepts with the economic heart of Marx's historical materialism. In so doing, Johnston brings to light the complex intertwining of political and libidinal economies keeping us invested and complicit in perpetuating capitalism and its ills.
Series: Insurrections: Critical Studies in Religion, Politics, and Culture
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Infinite Greed
Selfishness is essential to capitalism—or so both advocates and opponents claim. In Infinite Greed, Adrian Johnston argues that this consensus is mistaken. Through a novel synthesis of Marxism and psychoanalysis, he reveals how the relentless pursuit of profits is not fundamentally animated by human acquisitiveness. Instead, capitalism's strange "infinite greed" demands that individuals sacrifice their pleasures, their well-being, and even...Paperback$6699Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 3-4 weeks -
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Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780231214735
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 14 May 2024
Country: United States
Imprint: Columbia University Press
Audience: Tertiary education
DIMENSIONS
Width: 156.0mm
Height: 235.0mm
Weight: 250g
Pages: 392
About the Author
Adrian Johnston is Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the University of New Mexico and a faculty member of the Emory Psychoanalytic Institute. He is the author of numerous books on German idealism, Marxism, psychoanalysis, science, and politics.
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