What we’re about
CURRENT READING LIST: Google Spreadsheet
Welcome! As the name suggests, this group aims to explore the history of ideas through some of the most influential texts in science, philosophy and literature. Each month we will choose a text or topic to read/research and discuss. The group is open to everyone and is intended as an informal way of engaging with some of the key ideas that have shaped our societies and cultures down through the centuries. No prior understanding of any of the texts or ideas is required and newcomers are always welcome!
It is not a requirement to have read the assigned text to join in the discussion. For those with less time, I will post links to abridged versions, as well as short videos and podcasts providing a general overview of the topic.
Members are welcome to suggest texts/topics and share links to resources such as study guides, podcasts, documentaries, etc.
Upcoming events (1)
See all- Capitalist Realism by Mark Fisher discussionCostigan's Pub, Cork
It is easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism. After 1989, capitalism has successfully presented itself as the only realistic political-economic system - a situation that the bank crisis of 2008, far from ending, actually compounded. The book analyses the development and principal features of this capitalist realism as a lived ideological framework. Using examples from politics, film (Children Of Men, Jason Bourne, Supernanny), fiction (Le Guin and Kafka), work and education, it argues that capitalist realism colours all areas of contemporary experience, is anything but realistic and asks how capitalism and its inconsistencies can be challenged. It is a sharp analysis of the post-ideological malaise that suggests that the economics and politics of free market neo-liberalism are givens rather than constructions.
Text...
- Various formats https://archive.org/details/capitalist-realism-is-there-no-alternative
- Audio https://youtu.be/lm8bpGXl1R8?feature=shared
Video...
- Second Thought: Why It's So Hard To Imagine Life After Capitalism https://youtu.be/PaASqPnpq5Y?feature=shared
- Then & Now: Capitalism: In-Depth https://youtu.be/F_nefR99g0U?feature=shared
Podcasts...
- Philosophize This! Why we can’t think beyond Capitalism. (Mark Fisher, Capitalist Realism) https://www.philosophizethis.org/podcast/episode-201-transcript-bkx3e
- Rev Left Radio: Capitalist Realism: Is There No Alternative? https://revolutionaryleftradio.libsyn.com/capitalist-realism-is-there-no-alternative
Other Resources...
- Mediations: The Breakdown of Capitalist Realism by Benjamin Noys https://mediationsjournal.org/articles/breakdown
