The Capitalist Schema

Time, Money, and the Culture of Abstraction

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, Politics, Economic Conditions, Government, Communism & Socialism, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Political
Cover of the book The Capitalist Schema by Christian Lotz, Lexington Books
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Christian Lotz ISBN: 9780739182475
Publisher: Lexington Books Publication: September 9, 2014
Imprint: Lexington Books Language: English
Author: Christian Lotz
ISBN: 9780739182475
Publisher: Lexington Books
Publication: September 9, 2014
Imprint: Lexington Books
Language: English

Christian Lotz argues that Immanuel Kant’s idea of a mental schematism, which gives the human mind access to a stable reality, can be interpreted as a social concept, which, using Karl Marx, the author identifies as money. Money and its “fluid” form, capital, constitute sociality in capitalism and make access to social reality possible. Money, in other words, makes life in capitalism meaningful and frames all social relations. Following Marx, Lotz argues that money is the true Universal of modern life and that, as such, we are increasingly subjected to its control.

As money and capital are closely linked to time, Lotz argues that in capitalism money also constitutes past and future “social horizons” by turning both into “monetized” horizons. Everything becomes faster, global, and more abstract. Our lives, as a consequence, become more mobile, “fluid,” unstable, and precarious. Lotz presents analyses of credit, debt, and finance as examples of how money determines the meaning of future and past, imagination, and memory, and that this results in individuals becoming increasingly integrated into and dependent upon the capitalist world. This integration and dependence increases with the event of electronics industries and brain-science industries that channel all human desires towards profits, growth, and money. In this way, the book offers a critical extension of Theodor Adorno’s analysis of exchange and the culture industry as the basis of modern societies. Lotz argues—paradoxically with and against Adorno—that we should return to the basic insights of Marx’s philosophy, given that the principle of exchange is only possible on the basis of more fundamental social and economic categories, such as money.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Christian Lotz argues that Immanuel Kant’s idea of a mental schematism, which gives the human mind access to a stable reality, can be interpreted as a social concept, which, using Karl Marx, the author identifies as money. Money and its “fluid” form, capital, constitute sociality in capitalism and make access to social reality possible. Money, in other words, makes life in capitalism meaningful and frames all social relations. Following Marx, Lotz argues that money is the true Universal of modern life and that, as such, we are increasingly subjected to its control.

As money and capital are closely linked to time, Lotz argues that in capitalism money also constitutes past and future “social horizons” by turning both into “monetized” horizons. Everything becomes faster, global, and more abstract. Our lives, as a consequence, become more mobile, “fluid,” unstable, and precarious. Lotz presents analyses of credit, debt, and finance as examples of how money determines the meaning of future and past, imagination, and memory, and that this results in individuals becoming increasingly integrated into and dependent upon the capitalist world. This integration and dependence increases with the event of electronics industries and brain-science industries that channel all human desires towards profits, growth, and money. In this way, the book offers a critical extension of Theodor Adorno’s analysis of exchange and the culture industry as the basis of modern societies. Lotz argues—paradoxically with and against Adorno—that we should return to the basic insights of Marx’s philosophy, given that the principle of exchange is only possible on the basis of more fundamental social and economic categories, such as money.

More books from Lexington Books

Cover of the book Memory Landscapes of the Inka Carved Outcrops by Christian Lotz
Cover of the book Alexander the Great and Hernán Cortés by Christian Lotz
Cover of the book Vodou in the Haitian Experience by Christian Lotz
Cover of the book Japan in the World by Christian Lotz
Cover of the book Friendship in an Age of Economics by Christian Lotz
Cover of the book Solidarity with Solidarity by Christian Lotz
Cover of the book History of the Future by Christian Lotz
Cover of the book And Why Not? by Christian Lotz
Cover of the book Sedation, Suicide, and the Limits of Ethics by Christian Lotz
Cover of the book Examining Millennials Reshaping Organizational Cultures by Christian Lotz
Cover of the book Food Policy and Food Security by Christian Lotz
Cover of the book Applying Anthropology to Gender-Based Violence by Christian Lotz
Cover of the book Words for a Small Planet by Christian Lotz
Cover of the book Breaking the Ice by Christian Lotz
Cover of the book Regional Integration and Modernity by Christian Lotz
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy