The conclusion of Dichter’s phenomenology was inexorable: a soul thus projected is redeemed through consumption, a consummation afforded only through the ritual of purchase and the sanctifying grace of money. Thus Dichter’s philosophy of futility restated the foundation of pecuniary metaphysics: as the criterion of reality in capitalist life, money is the root and quintessence of all things. And as money must move for capital to accumulate, Dichter emphasized that the ceremonies of consumption must be constantly reenacted.
