The Role of the Built Environment in Capitalism

On this episode we are joined by Dr. Søren Mau to discuss his new book, Mute Compulsion: A Marxist Theory of the Economic Power of Capital. We talk about why economic power is different than violence and ideology, what’s distinctive about the human being in terms of its metabolic exchange with nature, and what this means for capitalist reproduction and the possibility of its interruption. Speaking of interruptions, we find ourselves subject to reactionary infrastructural violence when the internet crashes mid-conversation, but we manage to recover before long!

leftofphilosophy.com | @leftofphil

sorenmau.com

References:

Søren Mau, Mute Compulsion: A Marxist Theory of the Economic Power of Capital (New York: Verso, 2023)

Music: 

Vintage Memories by Schematist | schematist.bandcamp.com