Common Ground : Democracy and Collectivity in an Age of Individualism

Draws on past philosophical debates to propose a new way of conceiving the commons in today's neo-liberal era. Under neoliberalism the cult of individualism reigns supreme, forced upon us through culture, media and politics, it fatally limits our capacity to escape the current crisis of democratic politics. In Common Ground, Jeremy Gilbert asks us to reimagine the philosophical relationship between individuality, collectivity, affect and agency, proposing a radically non-individualist mode of imagining social life. The book considers how opponents of neoliberal hegemony, and of the individualist tradition in Western thought, might protect collective creativity and democratic possibility. Examination of the historical roots of individualism's 'Leviathan logic' and fresh readings of theorists such as Hobbes, Lazzarato, Simondon, Lyotard, Laclau and Deleuze and Guattari, force us to confront longstanding assumptions about the nature of the individual and of collectivity. Exploration of this fundamental faultline in contemporary politics is accompanied by analysis of the different ideas and practices of collectivity, from conservative notions of hierarchical and patriarchal communities to the politics of 'horizontality' and 'the commons' which lie at the heart of radical movements today. Through an understanding of the philosophy shaping contemporary relations and disrupting hegemonic values, we can re-imagine the present moment. Under neoliberalism the cult of individualism reigns supreme, forced upon us through culture, media and politics, it fatally limits our capacity to escape the current crisis of democratic politics. In Common Ground, Jeremy Gilbert asks us to reimagine the philosophical relationship between individuality, collectivity, affect and agency, proposing a radically non-individualist mode of imagining social life.

The book considers how opponents of neoliberal hegemony, and of the individualist tradition in Western thought, might protect collective creativity and democratic possibility. Examination of the historical roots of individualism's 'Leviathan logic' and fresh readings of theorists such as Hobbes, Lazzarato, Simondon, Lyotard, Laclau and Deleuze and Guattari, force us to confront longstanding assumptions about the nature of the individual and of collectivity. Exploration of this fundamental faultline in contemporary politics is accompanied by analysis of the different ideas and practices of collectivity, from conservative notions of hierarchical and patriarchal communities to the politics of 'horizontality' and 'the commons' which lie at the heart of radical movements today. Through an understanding of the philosophy shaping contemporary relations and disrupting hegemonic values, we can re-imagine the present moment. Common Ground explores the philosophical relationship between collectivity, individuality, affect and agency in the neoliberal era. Jeremy Gilbert argues that individualism is forced upon us by neoliberal culture, fatally limiting our capacity to escape the current crisis of democratic politics. The book asks how forces and ideas opposed to neoliberal hegemony, and to the individualist tradition in Western thought, might serve to protect some form of communality, and how far we must accept assumptions about the nature of individuality and collectivity which are the legacy of an elitist tradition. Along the way it examines different ideas and practices of collectivity, from conservative notions of hierarchical and patriarchal communities to the politics of 'horizontality' and 'the commons' which are at the heart of radical movements today. Exploring this fundamental faultline in contemporary political struggle, Common Ground proposes a radically non-individualist mode of imagining social life, collective creativity and democratic possibility Jeremy Gilbert Explores The Philosophical Relationship Between Collectivity, Individuality, Affect And Agency In The Neoliberal Era. He Argues That Individualism Is Forced Upon Us By Neoliberal Culture, Fatally Limiting Our Capacity To Escape The Current Crisis Of Democratic Politics. Machine Generated Contents Note: 1. Postmodernity And The Crisis Of Democracy -- 2. A War Of All Against All: Neoliberal Hegemony And Competitive Individualism -- 3. Leviathan Logics: Group Psychology From Hobbes To Laclau -- 4. The State Of Community Opened: Multitude And Multiplicity -- 5. The Non-fascist Crowd: Individuation And Infinite Relationality -- 6. Feeling Together: Affect, Identity And The Politics Of The Common -- 7. On The Impossibility Of Making Decisions: Affect, Agency And The Democratic Sublime -- 8. Conclusions. Jeremy Gilbert. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 230-248) And Index. Cover......Page 1 Contents......Page 6 Acknowledgements......Page 7 Preface......Page 9 1. Postmodernity and the Crisis of Democracy......Page 16 2. A War of All Against All: Neoliberal Hegemony and Competitive Individualism......Page 44 3. Leviathan Logics: Group Psychology from Hobbes to Laclau......Page 64 4. The State of Community Opened: Multitude and Multiplicity......Page 84 5. The Non-Fascist Crowd: Individuation and Infinite Relationality......Page 114 6. Feeling Together: Affect, Identity and the Politics of the Common......Page 158 7. On the Impossibility of Making Decisions: Affect, Agency and the Democratic Sublime......Page 187 8. Conclusions......Page 225 Notes......Page 232 References......Page 245 Index......Page 264