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118th out of 465 books
—
439 voters
The Accursed Share 1: Consumption
The three volumes of The Accursed Share address what Georges Bataille sees as the paradox of utility: namely, if being useful means serving a further end, then the ultimate end of utility can only be uselessness. In the second and third volumes, The History of Eroticism and Sovereignty, Bataille explores the same paradox of utility from an anthropological and an ethical pe...more
Paperback, 200 pages
Published
March 26th 1991
by Zone Books (NY)
(first published 1949)
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A combination of the Erotic with the Economic. How does Georges Bataille combine the two. One of the most original thinkers in contemporary (20th Century) literature. Bataille not only sees economy as a means to exchange goods but also the the extras that are there and how one uses the 'extras'. The excess of power, exchange, and perhaps love itself. Difficult at times, but also incredibly rewarding.
A good introduction to Bataille's work is for sure his fiction (The Story of the Eye, etc.) but...more
A good introduction to Bataille's work is for sure his fiction (The Story of the Eye, etc.) but...more
Extraits:
"L'organisme vivant, dans la situation que déterminent les jeux de l'énergie à la surface du globe, reçoit en principe plus d'énergie qu'il n'est nécessaire au maintient de la vie; l'énergie (la richesse) excédante peut être utilisée à la croissance d'un système (p.ex. d'un organisme); si le système ne peut plus croître, ou si l'excédent ne peut en entier être absorbé dans sa croissance, il faut nécessairement le perdre sans profit, le dépenser, volontiers ou non, glorieusement ou sinon...more
"L'organisme vivant, dans la situation que déterminent les jeux de l'énergie à la surface du globe, reçoit en principe plus d'énergie qu'il n'est nécessaire au maintient de la vie; l'énergie (la richesse) excédante peut être utilisée à la croissance d'un système (p.ex. d'un organisme); si le système ne peut plus croître, ou si l'excédent ne peut en entier être absorbé dans sa croissance, il faut nécessairement le perdre sans profit, le dépenser, volontiers ou non, glorieusement ou sinon...more
Dec 27, 2007
Nathan
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
People interested in Anthropology, Economics, Religious Studies
Though Bataille continues to deal with religion and ritual in this book, his concerns are more classically Anthropological than in Theory of Religion (population growth, scarcity, social structure etc.). The project he sets out in the introductory chapters is the development of
a "general economy": a system that not only accounts for the
development and exchange of goods, but of all energy on the Earth. From the perspective of general economy, life is a terrific excess that cannot be fully utilize...more
a "general economy": a system that not only accounts for the
development and exchange of goods, but of all energy on the Earth. From the perspective of general economy, life is a terrific excess that cannot be fully utilize...more
Somewhat reminiscent to Weber's 'Capitalism & the Protestant Ethic', this book outlines the parallel processes of economic & religious historical developments. Somewhat difficult to get into & the final chapter focuses entirely on the Soviet Union, which is kind of an odd finish to read now that the Cold War is long over. But otherwise a pretty interesting read. Not as good as Bataille's Part 2: Theory of Religion.
I pulled this from my shelf as I was dusting, having read it some 15 years ago. 15 years ago! I liked it then, and I still like it. Bataille critiques traditional economy and examines what he calls the 'general economy', an economy not wholly based on production (as Marx would have it), but excess and expenditure, or non-productive surplus. On a philosophical level, it defines self-consciousness or a liberated subjectivity as 'prestige'--an economy of gift exchange that runs on endless consumpti...more
After reading this, I now subscribe to Bataille's theory of "general economy." On this view, economies aren't about production but the dissipation of surplus energy. By extension, next time I meet someone who drives a Hummer, I'll shake their hand and smile. Of course I'm joking.
Bataille-the-philosopher becomes Bataille-the-economist, and to do this becomes Bataille-the-historian. Economics is 50% a mystery to my humanities upbringing, but the fact that Bataille roots his theory of general economy in "historical examples" instead of, well, the impossible as he normally does brings this closer to lucid. I started this a while ago and couldn't "get into it," but managed to read the last 150 pages in 2 sittings today. I think the ideas here are important, and I'm excited t...more
This book explained current politics to me
This book is so fucking apt it hurts.
Feb 22, 2010
Trevor
added it
As recommended by Marginal Revolution's Tyler Cowen...
Bataille's philosophy of History. Totally cogent and elegant. More legible than his theories of erotics.
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A revelation early on in my philosophical wanderings. Eroto-econo-socio-anthropology at its best.
Mar 19, 2008
Daniel
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommended to Daniel by:
philosopher extraordinaire tzuchien
various bataille pieces - essays on sacrifice and "potlatch" are winners.
Jan 30, 2008
Katie Muffett
marked it as to-read
I've glimpsed into this and am excited. Unnaturallye excited.
Pot-latching. Yum
May 23, 2013
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French essayist, philosophical theorist and novelist, often called the "metaphysician of evil." Bataille was interested in sex, death, degradation, and the power and potential of the obscene. He rejected traditional literature and considered that the ultimate aim of all intellectual, artistic, or religious activity should be the annihilation of the rational individual in a violent, transcendental...more
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“Under the present conditions, everything conspires to obscure the basic movement that tends to restore wealth to its function, to gift-giving, to squandering without reciprocation.”
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