Alternative Hedonism

“…the market economy is providing the goods that we still do, I think, want to have, [e.g.] forms of exercise, forms of relating to each other, forms of leisure time in various ways. It is selling us back these goods that we have sacrificed through overwork.”

This quote belongs to Kate Soper who, during an interview in which her ideas on Alternative Hedonism were discussed, examined the curious phenomenon of people flocking to large scale work-out facilities and paying exorbitant fees to run on treadmills when they are perfectly able to get the same a similar work-out running to the gym whilst paying nothing.

Her arguments and observations about the damaging effects of a consumeristic way of life and the comodification of the world are immensely interesting and decidedly well formed and persuasive.

Here is the Philosophy Bites interview with her and here is one of her papers on Alternative hedonism.

Drawing by Joe Kievitt / untitled / ink on paper / 6.75″ x 6.75″ / 2010

Tags:Alternative Hedonism capitalism Joe Kievitt Kate Soper marxism

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Alternative Hedonism

“…the market economy is providing the goods that we still do, I think, want to have, [e.g.] forms of exercise, forms of relating to each other, forms of leisure time in various ways. It is selling us back these goods that we have sacrificed through overwork.”