Consumerism and Culture
"The point is that a consumers' society cannot possibly know how to take care of a world and the things which belong exclusively to the space of worldly appearances, because its central attitude toward all objects, the attitude of consumption, spells ruin to everything it touches."
Hannah Arendt "The Crisis in Culture"
I will be sparing in my comments because I am short on time, but as a warning I will suggest that many key terms in the quotation are of a special meaning. "World," "space of worldy appearances," "appearances," "things which belong exclusively to the space of worldly appearances" are all examples of concepts that have a meaning outside their normal usage. For the Heideggerians among us, first, we forgive you! Second, these ideas are very similar to the way similar concepts are used by Heidegger in his essays and sections on aesthetics.
Generally though, Arendt is trying to demonstrate how a consumer based society raised in "mass entertainment" poses a threat to cultural objects generally and works of art specifically. How the "attitude of consumption, spells ruin to everything it touches" is precisely by "consuming" them, by using them up. Being used-up deprives cultural and artistic objects of their vital element, the ability to hold and move people without a function or use, their ability to "endure" perpetually.
That is all I will say for now...it is a typically eloquent Arendtian comment. It suggests something I have tried to say about the commodification of culture for some time via my Kantian idea of aesthetics and Marxian idea of commodities. Arendt's aesthetics are clearly influenced by Kant and Heidegger, and Heidegger is very similar to, and strongly influenced by, Kant.
Hannah Arendt "The Crisis in Culture"
I will be sparing in my comments because I am short on time, but as a warning I will suggest that many key terms in the quotation are of a special meaning. "World," "space of worldy appearances," "appearances," "things which belong exclusively to the space of worldly appearances" are all examples of concepts that have a meaning outside their normal usage. For the Heideggerians among us, first, we forgive you! Second, these ideas are very similar to the way similar concepts are used by Heidegger in his essays and sections on aesthetics.
Generally though, Arendt is trying to demonstrate how a consumer based society raised in "mass entertainment" poses a threat to cultural objects generally and works of art specifically. How the "attitude of consumption, spells ruin to everything it touches" is precisely by "consuming" them, by using them up. Being used-up deprives cultural and artistic objects of their vital element, the ability to hold and move people without a function or use, their ability to "endure" perpetually.
That is all I will say for now...it is a typically eloquent Arendtian comment. It suggests something I have tried to say about the commodification of culture for some time via my Kantian idea of aesthetics and Marxian idea of commodities. Arendt's aesthetics are clearly influenced by Kant and Heidegger, and Heidegger is very similar to, and strongly influenced by, Kant.
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