Symbolic Misery. Volume 2. The Catastrophe of the Sensible-Polity

In this important new book, leading cultural theorist and philosopher Bernard Stiegler re-examines the relationship between politics and art in the contemporary world. Our hyper-industrial epoch represents what Stiegler terms a katastroph of the sensible . This katastroph is not an apocalypse or the end of everything, but the denouement of a drama; it is the final act in the process of psychic and collective individuation known as the West . Hyper-industrialization has brought about the loss of symbolic participation and the destruction of primordial narcissism, the very condition for individuation. It is in this context that artists have a unique role to play. When not subsumed in the capitalist economy, they are able to resist its synchronizing tendency, offering the possibility of reimagining the contemporary model of aesthetic participation. This highly original work - the second in Stiegler s Symbolic Misery series - will be of particular interest to students in philosophy, media and cultural studies, contemporary art and sociology, and will consolidate Stiegler s reputation as one of the most original cultural theorists of our time.-- Provided by Publisher The Leading Cultural Theorist And Philosopher Bernard Stiegler Re-examines The Relationship Between Politics And Aesthetics In Our Contemporary Hyperindustrial Age. He Argues That Our Epoch Is Characterized By The Seizure Of The Symbolic By Industrial Technology, Where Aesthetics Has Become Both Theatre And Weapon In An Economic War.--page [4] Of Cover. Vol. 1. The Hyperindustrial Epoch -- Vol. 2. The Katastrophē Of The Sensible Bernard Stiegler ; Translated By Barnaby Norman. First Published In French As De La Misère Symbolique, Editions Galilée, 2004--title Page Verso. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.