From: Philosophy and Human Values (1990) Lecture 8: Philosophy and Postmodern Culture
Transcript:
…but in a culture so overloaded, where we already suspect – if we don’t know – that it’s goal is psychoanalysis in reverse: to make the parts of us that think into ones that don’t; just react, follow, or replicate.
One thing that we can do, is tune out. So, many of us do that in one form or another. We take the culture and simply try to tune out as much as we can. But there is a flaw in the strategy. And that’s that no culture ever was so pervasive. Even this word [culture] may be bothering you. There was a time when culture meant going to things created by us folks, as opposed to nature. Where is nature now?
« masters of suspicion: marx, nietzsche, freud mass culture is enlightenment in reverse gear »
I want to say that nature is alive in the creative artist, but creativity has become a hot commodity. The creative class, according to Richard Florida, “accounts for nearly half all wage and salary income in the United States, $1.7 trillion dollars, as much as the manufacturing sectors combined.” (The Rise of the Creative Class, xiv)
I’ve just started the book, and I am enjoying the positive tone: “It’s up to us–all of us–to complete the transformation to a society that taps and rewards our full creative potential.” (xiii) However, I am a little disappointed that Florida sticks to a capitalist model–creativity is worth this much…isn’t that just awesome?
I guess, to answer Rick’s question, where is nature now? I’d have to say that someone just bought the last of it. Sorry, we’re all sold out.