The book uniquely identifies a dialectic between social fetishized and illusory forms/appearance/immediacy and content/essence/class struggle, in Nietzsche, Benjamin, and the Situationists. This idea goes back to Marx’s concept of the ‘inverted’ ‘topsy-turvy world’ and implies that fetishism should be understood as a general phenomenon that permeates the entire spectrum of our culture and daily lives. It will be the first study of the above philosophers through the perspective of this kind of dialectic. Castoriadis does not maintain such a dialectic, but I would be remiss if I did not include him in the book, since his effort to study illusion and the imaginary surely attempts, like that of the other philosophers of the book, to be anti-capitalist and radical and is one of the most well-known as such. He also maintains the idea of the open character of the concepts like Open Marxism. Thus, criticizing him better clarifies the rationale of the rest of the book.

In direct relation to the first benefit, it is shown that Nietzsche, Benjamin, Castoriadis and the Situationists hold the key concept of alienation in everyday life. For them, the real content of the fetishized, objectified forms lies in our alienated, objectified labour. They show that no matter how tightly bound the forms/appearances are or how closed and fetishized they appear to be, they cannot hide the negation and suffering that lies at the heart of their essence: the fact that the capitalist system fails us. As a result, I also bring to light the fact that the notion of cracks in capitalism, that John Holloway refers to, can indeed be met in the critical theory of the philosophers I examine in the book.

It is the first time that Adorno’s dialectics between form/essence is used as a tool for investigating the philosophies of Nietzsche, Benjamin, Castoriadis and the Situationists. There are some studies on the relation between Adorno and Nietzsche and Adorno and Benjamin, but they are far from my reading, since for them Adorno is not a critical Marxist, as I maintain. Ι do not know any study that comments on the relation between the Situationists and Adorno. My study aspires to be the first to investigate it.

Book Information
ISBN 9781032556772
Author Vasilis Grollios
Format Hardback
Page Count 206
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd