Podcast Summary
Postmodern society's inability to progress: Postmodern society's focus on individualism and relative morality leaves it stuck in the present, unable to make progress, as argued by Mark Fisher.
The combination of neoliberalism's focus on the individual and postmodernism's relative morality leaves many people in a tolerant but contradictory philosophical position. Mark Fisher argues that this cultural logic leaves society stuck in the present, unable to make progress. The average person in a postmodern society might believe morality is relative and that everyone should be tolerant. However, this position becomes indefensible when considering that even intolerant cultures could be considered right. True moral reasoning, some argue, requires declaring moral universals and acting on them. The western world, according to Fisher, is like the character Leonard in "Memento," suffering from anterograde amnesia, unable to remember and learn from the past. This inability to remember and progress is a significant issue that Fisher sees as a major challenge for society.
Cultural Amnesia in Postmodern Society: The inability to remember and learn from the past in postmodern society can lead to a fragmented understanding of history, confusion, a lack of clear identity, and a focus on narcissism instead of constructing new cultural forms.
The movie "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and the concept of cultural amnesia, as discussed by Mark Fisher, highlight the challenges of living in a world where we can't remember our past, making it difficult to accurately diagnose the present and imagine a better future. This condition is particularly relevant to modern society, where the questioning of grand narratives and the importance of skepticism have led to a fragmented understanding of history and other meta narratives that once united societies. As a result, history and other shared stories become instruments to prove political biases, rather than unifying elements. This schizophrenic experience of postmodern culture can lead to confusion, a lack of clear identity, and a feeling of being stuck in the present with no prospects for the future. Instead of constructing new cultural forms, postmodernism focuses on deconstruction and the elevation of difference, making it challenging for individuals to find meaning externally and leading to a turn towards narcissism.
Cultural Trend of Remixing Older Forms: In our postmodern, neoliberal society, there's a trend towards remixing and reinterpreting older cultural forms due to confusion and narcissism, resulting in significant capital generation for artists and studios.
In the current cultural landscape, we are witnessing a trend towards remixing and reinterpreting older cultural forms instead of creating truly new and innovative content. This is evident in various art forms, such as movies and music, where many high-grossing productions are remakes or remixes of older works. Mark Fisher's theory of capitalist realism suggests that this trend is a result of the confusion and narcissism of the present moment, where people are unable to imagine a different social future. As a result, artists and studios rely on nostalgia to produce content that generates significant capital. This phenomenon is not limited to any particular art form or era, and it is a hallmark of our postmodern, neoliberal society.
Nostalgia in Art: Artists and companies capitalize on societal demand for nostalgia by revisiting and remixing old works, influenced by postmodernism and capitalist realism, living in a perpetual present, unable to imagine a different future, while Element, BetterHelp, and NordVPN offer solutions to modern problems.
In today's society, there is a high demand for nostalgia in various forms of art, including music, movies, and video games. Artists and companies are responding to this trend by revisiting and remixing old works rather than taking risks to create something new. This is due to a combination of factors, including the influence of postmodernism and capitalist realism, which prioritize the expansion of capital over artistic innovation. Mark Fisher's quote, "to live in the 21st century is to have 20th century culture delivered to you through 21st century technology," highlights how we are living in a perpetual present, unable to imagine a different future. This collective haze makes nostalgia a valuable commodity for artists and companies looking to connect with audiences. Element, a company that provides electrolytes for those fasting, offers a solution to the electrolyte deficiency that can occur during a fast, ensuring that people can continue to perform at their best. BetterHelp, an online therapy platform, provides a convenient and accessible way for individuals to prioritize self-awareness and growth, while NordVPN offers a secure and private online experience by masking IP addresses and locations.
Future Imagination: The constant remixing and recycling of old ideas has led to a blurry and confusing experience of reality, where morality is relative and history is used to confirm political bias, rather than dreaming about revolutionary ideas for the future.
Our ability to imagine and create new cultural forms and progress as a society has become blurred and confusing due to the constant remixing and recycling of old ideas. Mark Fisher argues that this leads to a "slow cancellation of the future," where we no longer have clear boundaries for what is culturally obsolete or what the truth is. This can result in a blurry and confusing experience of reality, where morality is relative and history is used to confirm political bias. In contrast, past generations dreamed about revolutionary ideas for the future, such as technology allowing us to work less or colonizing other planets. However, our political imagination has been depleted, and we are mostly remixing and recycling old ideas. Mark Fisher compares the way we think about the future to a font, where it's not about the future in any revolutionary sense but an aesthetic style added after the fact. This shift in how we see the future has fundamental consequences for how we organize human society.
Perception of Future, Politics and Nostalgia: Our perception of the future is influenced by nostalgia, leading to a repetition of old ideas instead of imagining something new in politics and other areas. Capitalist realism, a defensive mechanism, presents capitalism as the only reality and anything else as unattainable or undesirable.
According to Mark Fisher, our perception of the future has become akin to a style of font, where we simply recycle and remix old ideas instead of imagining something truly new. This extends to politics, where both sides are influenced by nostalgia, either preserving the past or longing for a better future that never came to be. We live in a world haunted by the past and the lost futures, unable to fully escape the influence of the past and the unfulfilled promises of the future. As a result, many people have adopted a defensive mechanism of focusing on making money and accepting the inevitability of capitalism, which Fisher calls "capitalist realism." This mindset presents capitalism as the only reality and anything else as unattainable or undesirable.
Capitalist realism: Belief in capitalism as natural way leads to prioritizing expansion of capital over human needs and morality, creating a moral vacuum and empty world view
Capitalist realism, the belief that capitalism is the natural way for human beings to organize things, has become deeply entrenched in our society. This mindset prioritizes the expansion of capital over human needs and morality. It's a moral vacuum that can lead to problems being solved through easy solutions, such as blaming internal threats or escaping into consumer experiences. Mark Fisher called this new form of depression, "depressive hedonia," where people are not unable to find enjoyment but rather live in a world that feels empty of possibility. To move beyond capitalist realism, Mark Fisher proposed the concept of "acid communism," a method of unforgetting or reinvigorating consciousness to challenge the forgetting that allows capitalist realism to continue. This involves recognizing the ways in which our current system limits our perception of reality and seeking alternative ways to organize our society.
Acid Communism: Mark Fisher saw communism as a concept for finding a different way forward, inspired by psychedelic experiences and interconnectedness, critiquing capitalism and calling for recognition of the class war in the Western world
Mark Fisher, a theorist in the post-capitalist space, saw communism not as a specific state or ideology, but as a concept representing the desire to find a different way forward that transcends the limitations of neoliberal capitalism. He was intrigued by the interconnectedness and alternative ways of thinking that psychedelic culture, feminism, and socialism offered, despite common caricatures. Fisher believed we are immersed in a class war in the Western world and called for recognizing the seriousness of the situation. He critiqued capitalism and proposed a movement called "acid communism," inspired by the psychedelic experiences of interconnectedness and unity. Fisher's work offers a unique perspective on the dominant ways of thinking in the modern world and the need for change. Look forward to exploring more of his ideas and solutions from other philosophers in upcoming episodes.