Ideology of desire

idéologie du désir

Worked through in 3 videos · 5 passages.

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Summary

Dominique Pagani links the ideology of desire to Michel Clouscard, particularly to Tout est permis mais rien n'est possible. He warns against a misreading: Clouscard does not put desire itself on trial, but a discourse about desire1. He is not, Pagani specifies, a puritan2. This ideology refers to a discourse with emancipatory pretensions, which he compares to the "desiring machines" and which is addressed to the new upstarts3. He describes it as the way the dominant discourse filters desire until it is impoverished4. The legitimate infinity of desire is thus reduced to trinkets. He connects this discourse to consumption. For him, consumption presented as emancipatory is a submission to neo-capitalism. It remains marginal because it is selective, reserved for the petty bourgeoisie5. In 2024, he relates this theme to neo-fascism and to current political events.

Summary produced automatically from 5 of the passages below, to be reviewed; the numbers link to the moment in the session.

Cycle 12 · 2 May 2024Neo-fascism and the ideology of desire: Clouscard, as relevant as ever

15:51Clouscard criticizes the discourse on desire and consumption, not desire itself; he is not a puritan.
34:43So-called emancipatory consumption is a submission to neocapitalism; it is marginal because it is selective, reserved for the petty bourgeoisie.

Cycle 11 · 14 Jan 2023Beware of misreadings! Clouscard and the ideology of desire, in homage to Le Précepteur

8:28A discourse on desire that reduces the legitimate infinity of desire to trinkets; Clouscard puts this on trial, not desire itself.
35:14The way desire is filtered in dominant discourse to the point of impoverishing it.

Series · 29 Jan 2012Everything is allowed but nothing is possible: Michel Clouscard (1)

42:05A discourse with emancipatory pretensions, like desiring machines, addressed to the new upstarts; it is not desire itself that is criticized.