For a New Critique of Political Economy

-

•

-Critique f ;: .f Politi I no my_

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Bernard Stiegler

For

a

New Critique of

Political Economy BERNARD STIEGLER translllttd by Daniel Ross

polity

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CONTENTS

For a New Critique of Political Economy

1

Heads buried in the sand: a warning

3

Incroduction

8

Pharmacology of the prolt!tariat

14

To work

45

Pharmacology of Capital and Economy of Concriburion

71

Nom

130

IllIux

143

For a New Critique of Political Economy

For An/fluid ck I'Epilu Imd Chris/itlll rlmri

ONE

Heads buried in the sand: a warning lhe [hests put forward in this small volume were hrst set aU( on January 15. 2009 at the Maiso" de I'Ettrope, during a lecture which tvdyne Grossman and the Co/Mgt inrffllat;onal dt ph;[osopbit invited me (0 deliver, and they wert also discussed in my conrribution 10 the catalogue for "Work: Meaning and Care," an ohibi­ tion held in Dresden from June 2009 to March 20 I 0 at the initiative of the Demsches Hygiene-Museum, the German Fedtral Cultural Foundation and Daniel Tyr.addlis. 1 decided (0 publish these rdlecdons in the midst of economic and political debates taking pla� throughout the world about the necessity of implementing stimu­ lus plans in order [0 limit (he destructive effects of the first planc:tary economic crisis of the:: capitaliSt indus­ uial world. Now when, in such debates, "investment stimulus" and "consumption stimulus" arc: spoken of

in opposing [enns,

twO

distinct qucsrions become con­

fused, questions that, in fact. do require simultaneous treatment, yet according to

twO

different scales of time, 3

f O R A NEW C R I T IQUE

:l

difficulty which is all the greater. given that

th� pmmt

crisis hmdds tlu /'lid o/Ihi' COlJJllmm'sl modi'l. Those\.'ho advocate srimuladng consumption as Ihe pouh to economic rccovery want ndlher ro hear nor speak about the end of consumerism. But the French government, which lldvocoues stimulating investment. is no more willing Ihan those who advocalc stimular· ing consumprion to C.11l [he consumerist indumial model inw question. The Frcnch version of"stimularing investment" (which seems morc suhtle when it comes from Barack Obama) argues that the best way

(0

5.1Ve

consumption is through invesrmenr, rh:tt is, hy restoring "profitability," which will in

rurn

restore an entrepre·

neurial dynamism itself founded upon consumerism and its counterpart, marker·driven productivism. In other words, this "investment"' proposes no long. term view capable of drawing any lessons from the collapse of an induStrial mood based on the automobile, on oil. and on (he consrruction of highway networks. as well as on the Hemien networks of the culture indus· tries. This ensemble has until recendy formed me basis of consumerism, yet today it is obsolete, a faCt which became clear during the autumn of 2008. In other words, this "invcstment" is not an ilwesrmenr: it ison the contrary a

disillvmmml, an abdication which consistS in doing no more than bllryil1g011�S h�ad hI th� WId. 4

Ht'ads bUTi,.d in II" sand: II wllmillg

This "investment policy," which has no goal other than the reconsotmion of the consumerist modd, is [he translation of a moribund ideology, desperatdy (rying to prolong the life of a model which has b«ome self-destructive, denying and concealing for as long as possible the faCt thar the consumerist model is now mas­ sivdy toxic (a [oxiciry extending far beyond the question of "toxic assets") because it has re'J.ched its limitS. This denial is a matter of trying, for as long as possible, to maintain [he colossal profits that can be accrued by those capable of exploiting iI. The consumerist modd has rcached its limirs because it has become systemically short-termist. bCC'J.use it has given rise to a tyJUmic Slupidity that Ult

T«omtitution of a

strufturally prtVt'f//S

kmg-tmn horizon. This "invest­

ment" is not an investment according [0 any terms other than those of pure accounting: it is a pure and simple reestablishment of me st,Ue of things. trying to rebuild the indusrrial landscape without at all changing itS ncuc­ rure, still less its axioms, all in the hope of prorecting income levels that had hitherto been achievable. Such may be the hope, but these:: are the false hopes of those with buried heads. The genuine obj�t of debate raised by the crisis, and by the question of how

(Q

escape

this crisis, ought (0 be how to ovcrcome the short­ termism to which we have been led by

a

consumerism 5

FOR A NEW CRIT1QUE

intrinsically destructive of all genuine investment-that is, of investment in the furure-a short-term ism which has

Jysuhlically, and 1l0t acddmtfllLy, been translated into [he thcomposition ofillvestnltnt into tprculdriol1. Whether we must, in order

(Q

avoid a major eco­

nomic catastrophe, and to anenuate the social injustice caused by the crisis, stimulate consumption and the eco­ nomic ma-8. J 20. 12] consumer

prolctarlanized 25. 27-8. 35, ,.....

prntcllliOrls of the 68-9. 84-6 cOll'itJlllcrism 16, 23-8. 6J--6. 7 1 .

sharehulder 88---9. 92-3_ 103-4

87-9, 9 1-3. 107-8. 1 1 5.

om

ofthr sdCS4 $)'5lenl or44, 50. 70, 86. 108. 120. 1 1 1 . 1 26

('::Il1,'icsn s cu

economy of 1 25-6, 129

144

125--6 end or4-7, 22-3. 5}--6. 69, 10' conSlLlllption ;IS

Ih(' dt:Sltucdon ofIciClic� 30-1. 34, 46. 62. 6ij-9, 82-4. 88-9, 1 0 1 Cur'Sani, Amondla 2 1 . 22, 51-2,

crrolt 67. 80. 94. 106 critique 8. 1 1

dcomsffiJcrion as 1 5 K2nli:lJ1 1 9

economy 40-4

�nd metaphysics 1 5 n� or palirla! economy

1 4--1 5, 16--19. 36. 40--4.70 cul ture indumioo; 4. 3 1 . 53-6,

58-60 . 96 Curlis.

Adam.

7111' C""wry of

Stlf28 cynicism 63

Debord. Guy 27

deconSTnlcrlon IS, 29. 36

DcJcUlC, GUles. /imi·Ordiplil 32-3

inliniriuuion or43. 82-4. 86. 93-6. 106-8 rdmion

10 consum ption

12,

·11-4, 65, 82-4. 1 2 1 . 125 dCS(llid�riutiol1. and negativc

cxternallties 57-60 d('sublimation 40. 42. 59. 62-3 diachroniurion 1 1 11. 1 1 9-20 dblogistl'l (Ihkhtin) 4 1 dijJhnllrt 1 1 1

digital networks 24 mncsic powt"r of3U. 1 22,

54.56 �rcalivilY 46--7, 51-6

orlibidinal

Pharrnacyw 29. 36

desire

128-9 digital !('tieulalion 47-50. 1 14.

117 digitali7,;ition 20. 21 dis.;adll.l$!mcill 1 1 3-15 disc!('tiution JI)-II. 31-2

diseconomr 62, 73--4 discnehantm('nt 59-60. 62-3.

67-S. 94-6

disequil ibriu m 104

disindividuation 31, 37-S. 41-4.

62 disinvtstm�nt 4-6. 79-B 1 . 116.

89 dispmabilil}' 30. H3. 86 dissociation 37-8, 49-50. 58-60. 84. 107. 1 1 5-16 communist 60-1 Donin. Nico la! 65

145

I NDEX

drivC':$ 40. 59-GO. 86. 121 eonsumpliou �ud material

of 12. 82-4. 8S-9, 95-6.

aledor milieu 112, 1 1 4

124-7

ClIterM:iri7.
social systems and marketing 99- 1 0 1 . 102-4 cechnic:J tcndenda �nd economy ofconuibution 1 13-17, 1 18 pharmacology of 1 09-13 t�'ChniC5 8. 36 t!'dlnnlogy

mechnnkal 19. 30. 33 of the spirit 2 1 tcmporJliry new social 55-6. 93-6 Jrr lliso

timr

103--'1, 1 17, 1 19. 120. 126 "thingificatinn" 34. 38-9 dme and ctnpJoymem 51-6 (rtc 55-6 human 5ubordin:llN to commodity.time 27 imcrgencr:nion:l.! social 100 light. 24

of nClCtic in{ermillence 53-6 mcmional and protentional 69 short term versus Inng term 77. 124

spatialiution of conscioll.5 8-10,66 sp('cllblion rouilizcs 107 �s studious leisure 1fr otium usc or 52--6 1ft al!�

cotllempol'llneil),;

temporalit), tnt�limrianism. St;llinist 60-1

153

INDEX

loxidf)' pharmacologial 5. 49-50. 59. 84. 88-9. IO'J. 123. 125-6 ofprofil IT-9

I�( 21)

tr.uuJucli\� rcbtiolUhip }4-5. 100--1. 104-8. 1 17-20 lI�nsindh'iduation 1J. 27. 41�. 48-50. 93. 105-6. 1 18-19. 126 ofgen(r.tt!!lI\� 58-9

longdrcuhs of 50. 51�. 57. 9}-6. 101. 123 �hon-cltcuheJ .�5. 38-'). 44. 57-60. 60. 6 1 , 103. 107

tr.l!lsllional object 4 1 , 44 trun 67

truth uf an idel (i'1�101 43 mllh orbeing, th� 29

r�rnembrnl1c( uf

new colICC'JHion ofeconomic S1 l«hnological90 Vauanson, JacquC'$ d( 10 \'«Ioralisu 48, 49-50 \'ision 6-7 1O'lIgt'-carncn ofthe Idcal 65. 6.

Wark. Md«(nm 2 1 , 22, 48

Weber, Mall 85, 87. 9