Taylor Adkins, @CNoumena, @YAgamben - Wicked Lyotard Pt 4
Feb 6, 2021
auto_awesome
Taylor Adkins, @CNoumena, @YAgamben join the podcast to discuss Jean Francois Lyotard's Libidinal Economy. They explore topics such as the relationship between currency, value, and meaning, the concept of organic and inorganic bodies in relation to labor power and capital, exclusive destruction and quantic observation, the role of excessive consumption in primitive societies, flows in economics and its parallels to phallocentrism, the aftermath of the May 68 revolution, and the spontaneous use of language and unexamined faith.
A new source of energy that can sustain increasing demand may lead to a negative entropy system.
Traditional economic models fail to account for libidinal intensities and excess value.
Capitalism challenges the traditional family structure, revealing its true dynamics of power and exchange.
Desires directed towards objects in traditional economic frameworks perpetuate a cycle of insatiable consumption.
Deep dives
The Excessive Desire for Infinite Growth and the Challenge of Sustaining it
In this podcast episode, there is a discussion about the concept of the 'joissance of infinity' and the idea of a 'monotonic process' that drives society towards infinite growth. It is acknowledged that the current energy resources and technology might not be able to sustain this desire for infinite growth. However, it is argued that if a new source of energy emerges, one that can sustain the increasing demand more efficiently, it could potentially lead to a negative entropy system. The possibility of creating negative entropy and sustaining it through advanced computers and autonomous intelligence is suggested. This radical transformation of intelligence, detached from human inputs, could be the key to maintaining negative entropy and sustaining infinite growth.
The Symbolic Exchange and Expenditure in Economics
The podcast explores the concepts of symbolic exchange and expenditure in economics. It challenges the traditional theories that focus on rationality and utility. Instead, it suggests that the underlying material in economics is libidinal energy and intensities. It argues that traditional models fail to account for the excess value and desire that exist in any economic system. By shifting the viewpoint to libidinal intensities, it becomes possible to question and critique the established theories of value and exchange. The podcast also references the idea of the object a in Lacanian psychoanalysis, which signifies the excess desire that can never be fully satisfied through objects.
The Dissolution of the Edifice Complex and the Crisis of the Nuclear Family
The podcast delves into the dissolution of the edifice complex in relation to the development of capitalism and the crisis of the nuclear family. It suggests that the capitalist system challenges the traditional family structure by disrupting the imaginary primacy of genitality and reproductive roles. As capitalism continues to push its limits and transgress boundaries, the traditional family unit faces immense pressure. The podcast also alludes to the concepts of symbolic exchange, prostitution, and power in relation to the disintegration of societal norms. It highlights how the dynamics of capitalism and its focus on power and exchange reveal the true nature of the family institution.
The Excessive Desire and the Illusory Nature of Objectification
The podcast investigates the idea that the excessive desire for objects and goals can create an illusory fulfillment. It explores the concept of castration in relation to desire and the symbolic castration of traditional economics. It suggests that traditional economic theories, based on utility and rationality, fail to address the libidinal intensities and excess value that exist in economic systems. The illusion of fulfillment is created when desires are directed towards objects, but the objects themselves can never fully satisfy the desire. This perpetuates a cycle of desire and consumption, highlighting the insatiable nature of human desire outside the realm of traditional economic frameworks.
The Complexity of Freud's Death Drive
Freud's concept of the death drive introduces a complexity in understanding its relationship to the social. On one hand, the death drive can be seen as a desire for stasis, where institutions ossify and resist change. On the other hand, there is a sense of an apocalyptic vision, where the death drive desires the collapse or end of the current society. This dichotomy raises questions about projecting the death drive onto the social and whether it represents a desire for change or a stubborn resistance to it.
Leotard's Critique of Freud's Simplification
Leotard critiques Freud's reduction of the death drive to aggression in 'Civilization and Its Discontents,' arguing that this simplification overlooks the binding and stabilizing role the death drive plays within the system. Leotard contends that death and life drives are not diametrically opposed forces, but rather they coexist and interact in complex ways. The interplay between the death and life drives is central to Leotard's exploration of the monism that he believes underlies Freud's formulation of the death drive.
The Monism and Complexification of Forces
Leotard highlights the monism inherent in the interplay between the death and life drives. He argues that the binary opposition between them is insufficient and that they are deeply intertwined within the system. Leotard suggests that this interplay has profound implications, particularly when considering the force of labor. He posits that labor force, when conceived as giving out more than it expends, can provide the foundation for a model of surplus value and production. Overall, Leotard's analysis challenges traditional understandings of the death drive and highlights the need for a more nuanced and complex view of these forces.
Part 4 of a series of discussions with Taylor Adkins, @CNoumena, and @YAgamben on Jean Francois Lyotard's Libidinal Economy (1974). Lyotard referred to it as his evil book, and it was a major influence on Nick Land.
In this episode, we cover the second half of chapter 3, The Desire named Marx (pgs. 95-122) from the Grant translation.
Part 1:
https://soundcloud.com/podcast-co-coopercherry/taylor-adkins-cnoumena-yagamben-wicked-lyotard-pt-1
Part 2: https://soundcloud.com/podcast-co-coopercherry/taylor-adkins-cnoumena-yagamben-wicked-lyotard-pt-2
Part 3: https://soundcloud.com/podcast-co-coopercherry/taylor-adkins-cnoumena-yagamben-wicked-lyotard-pt
Taylor's Links:
https://soundcloud.com/user-659574533
https://soundcloud.com/theory-talk
https://fractalontology.wordpress.com/
https://twitter.com/tadkins613
Cute Noumena:
https://twitter.com/CNoumena
https://linktr.ee/Cute_Noumena
Yung Agamben:
https://twitter.com/YAgamben
Support us on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/muhh
Twitter: @unconscioushh
Instagram: @unconscioushh
Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/machinicunconscioushh
Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts
Save insights instantly, chat with episodes, and build lasting knowledge - all powered by AI.
