Pure Excess
About This Book
In Pure Excess, Todd McGowan develops a new theory of capitalism as a system built on producing more than is needed, a surplus he calls pure excess. He argues that the essence of capitalism is the promise of more wealth, more enjoyment, and more opportunity without any sacrifice. Earlier socioeconomic systems centered on some idea of the social good. Capitalism marks a revolutionary break from the good and the useful toward excessive growth, which now threatens the planet's habitability. Drawing on psychoanalytic theory, McGowan shows how the production of commodities explains the role of excess in capitalism. Capitalism and the commodity entangle us with the image of constant fulfillment, a 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 sustain capitalist society and reveal the need for limits. With examples from film, literature, and popular culture, the book uncovers the hidden logic of capitalism and helps readers imagine a noncapitalist life in a noncapitalist society.
ISBN: 9780231217583
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