The End of Dissatisfaction?

The End of Dissatisfaction? PDF

Author: Todd McGowan

Publisher: State University of New York Press

Published: 2012-02-01

Total Pages: 249

ISBN-13: 0791485714

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Winner of the 2004 Gary Olson Award for best book in cultural theory presented by JAC Exploring the emergence of a societal imperative to enjoy ourselves, Todd McGowan builds on the work of such theorists as Jacques Lacan, Slavoj Zðizûek, Joan Copjec, and Theresa Brennan to argue that we are in the midst of a large-scale transformation—a shift from a society oriented around prohibition (i.e., the notion that one cannot just do as one pleases) to one oriented around enjoyment. McGowan identifies many of the social ills of American culture today as symptoms of this transformation: the sense of disconnection, the increase in aggression and violence, widespread cynicism, political apathy, incivility, and loss of meaning. Discussing these various symptoms, he examines various texts from film, literature, popular culture, and everyday life, including Toni Morrison's Paradise, Tony Kushner's Angels in America, and such films as Dead Poets Society and Trigger Effect. Paradoxically, The End of Dissatisfaction? shows how the American cultural obsession with enjoying ourselves actually makes it more difficult to do so.

Capitalism and Desire

Capitalism and Desire PDF

Author: Todd McGowan

Publisher: Columbia University Press

Published: 2016-09-20

Total Pages: 305

ISBN-13: 0231542216

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Despite creating vast inequalities and propping up reactionary world regimes, capitalism has many passionate defenders—but not because of what it withholds from some and gives to others. Capitalism dominates, Todd McGowan argues, because it mimics the structure of our desire while hiding the trauma that the system inflicts upon it. People from all backgrounds enjoy what capitalism provides, but at the same time are told more and better is yet to come. Capitalism traps us through an incomplete satisfaction that compels us after the new, the better, and the more. Capitalism's parasitic relationship to our desires gives it the illusion of corresponding to our natural impulses, which is how capitalism's defenders characterize it. By understanding this psychic strategy, McGowan hopes to divest us of our addiction to capitalist enrichment and help us rediscover enjoyment as we actually experienced it. By locating it in the present, McGowan frees us from our attachment to a better future and the belief that capitalism is an essential outgrowth of human nature. From this perspective, our economic, social, and political worlds open up to real political change. Eloquent and enlivened by examples from film, television, consumer culture, and everyday life, Capitalism and Desire brings a new, psychoanalytically grounded approach to political and social theory.

Signs, Symbols & Omens

Signs, Symbols & Omens PDF

Author: Raymond Buckland

Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide

Published: 2014-05-08

Total Pages: 268

ISBN-13: 0738716618

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As human beings, we live in a world of symbols. From traffic signs to the very letters that comprise these words, symbols are woven into every aspect of daily life. Since prehistoric times humans have used symbolic representation to communicate with each other and with the divine. In Signs, Symbols & Omens, leading occult authority Ray Buckland describes the form and meaning of over 800 symbols from ancient and modern religions, magical traditions, and indigenous cultures around the world: Alchemy Ancient Egypt Astrology Australian Aborigines Aztec and Mayan Buddhist Celtic Ceremonial Magic Chinese Christian Freemasonry Gnostic Greek and Roman Hindu Islamic Judaic Magical Alphabets Native American Norse Rosicrucian Runic Shinto Sikh Travelers Voudoun Witchcraft Omens Understand the symbols used throughout human history and gain a deeper appreciation for the depth of the human experience and the vast uncharted realm of the collective unconscious.

Freedom and Dissatisfaction in the Works of Agnes Heller

Freedom and Dissatisfaction in the Works of Agnes Heller PDF

Author: Lucy Jane Ward

Publisher: Lexington Books

Published: 2016-12-27

Total Pages: 276

ISBN-13: 0739189778

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Ward’s book focuses on the work of the Hungarian philosopher Agnes Heller; prominent member of the Budapest School, a group of students who studied under the Marxist social theorist György Lukács. For both Marx and Heller (albeit in different ways) dissatisfaction emerges as the inevitable result of the expansion of need(s) within modernity and as a catalyst for the development of anthropological wealth (what Marx refers to as the 'human being rich in need'). Ward argues that dissatisfaction and the corresponding category of human wealth–as both motif and method–is central to grasping Heller’s seemingly disparate writings. While Marx postulates a radical overcoming of dissatisfaction, Heller argues dissatisfaction is integral not only to the on-going survival of modernity but also to the dynamics of both freedom and individual life. In this way Heller’s work remains committed to a position that both continually returns and departs, is both with and against, the philosophy of Marx. This book will be of interest to scholars of political philosophy, social theory, critical theory, and sociology.

The Politics of Dissatisfaction

The Politics of Dissatisfaction PDF

Author: William E. Lyons

Publisher: M.E. Sharpe

Published: 1992

Total Pages: 252

ISBN-13: 9781563243783

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Addresses the longstanding debate between traditional reformers who advocate consolidating urban governments to achieve an economy of scale, and public-choice theorists who say people want smaller, more responsive local governments. Three political scientists enter the lists with a methodology for testing opinions empirically, and with the results of their application of it: people under small urban governments are no more satisfied than those under megapolicies. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Treating Worker Dissatisfaction During Economic Change

Treating Worker Dissatisfaction During Economic Change PDF

Author: Morley D. Glicken

Publisher: Academic Press

Published: 2013-01-18

Total Pages: 336

ISBN-13: 0123972620

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In the current economy, companies are expected to turn on a dime in response to changing market needs to stay vibrant. What that means is that companies are constantly reorganizing. Employees are living in a constant state of change. This dynamic in the workplace has affected worker satisfaction, morale, and burnout. This is the first treatment manual to focus on treating job-related issues, whether it's conflict in the workplace, stress, burnout, performance, and more. Divided into two parts, Part One sets the stage with a discussion of the economic climate and how it impacts businesses, how business reacts to it, and how the new business climate affects employees. Part Two lays out the most current research on effectively treating work-related client issues. Individual, group, and organizational interventions are included, along with case examples, practical treatment exercises, checklists, and outlines for treatment. Summarizes how the changing workplace impacts workers Covers effective ways of treating and preventing worker problems Includes case examples of treating common workplace depression, accidents, substance abuse, violence, stress, illness, conflict, and performance Discusses individual, group, and organizational interventions Provides online exercises, checklists, evaluation formats, and outlines for treatment Integrates issues of diversity including race, ethnicity, age, and gender

The Debt to Pleasure

The Debt to Pleasure PDF

Author: John Lanchester

Publisher: Pan Macmillan

Published: 1997

Total Pages: 244

ISBN-13: 9780330344555

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Draws the reader, through descriptions of food and cooking, into a world of murder and art. Narrated by Tarquin, an ironist, epicurean and a snob, this novel is constructed around a series of seasonal menus, which unfold his autobiography.

The Sense of an Ending

The Sense of an Ending PDF

Author: Julian Barnes

Publisher: Vintage

Published: 2011-10-05

Total Pages: 158

ISBN-13: 0307957330

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BOOKER PRIZE WINNER • NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A novel that follows a middle-aged man as he contends with a past he never much thought about—until his closest childhood friends return with a vengeance: one of them from the grave, another maddeningly present. A novel so compelling that it begs to be read in a single setting, The Sense of an Ending has the psychological and emotional depth and sophistication of Henry James at his best, and is a stunning achievement in Julian Barnes's oeuvre. Tony Webster thought he left his past behind as he built a life for himself, and his career has provided him with a secure retirement and an amicable relationship with his ex-wife and daughter, who now has a family of her own. But when he is presented with a mysterious legacy, he is forced to revise his estimation of his own nature and place in the world.

Advanced Topics in End User Computing, Volume 3

Advanced Topics in End User Computing, Volume 3 PDF

Author: Mahmood, Mo Adam

Publisher: IGI Global

Published: 2003-07-01

Total Pages: 378

ISBN-13: 1591402581

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Advanced Topics in End User Computing features the latest research findings dealing with end user computing concepts, issues, and trends. Empirical and theoretical research concerned with all aspects of end user computing including development, utilization, and management are included. Volume three is specifically interested in those studies that show a significant contribution by relating end user computing to end user satisfaction, end user productivity, and strategic and competitive advantage. *Note: This book is part of a new series entitled ?Advanced Topics in End User Computing?. This book is Volume Three within this series (Vol. III, 2004).

Fahrenheit 451

Fahrenheit 451 PDF

Author: Ray Bradbury

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2003-09-23

Total Pages: 217

ISBN-13: 0743247221

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Set in the future when "firemen" burn books forbidden by the totalitarian "brave new world" regime.