Mar 25 2025 35 mins 84
On critical theory and autonomy.
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Jensen Suther, a junior fellow at Harvard working in philosophy and literature, talks to Alex H and contributing editor Alex Gourevitch about art, culture, and socialism. He also offers a riposte to previous guest Anna Kornbluh's discussion of immediacy, and its cultural forms such as autoficition.
What does Suther think Kornbluh gets wrong – and right – in her critique of contemporary culture?
How autonomous is art from society and the economy?
To what extent can we tie cultural forms to deep changes in the economy?
What is the right response to the historical defeat of the working class? What does it mean for critical theory?
What is the difference between immanent critique and critique from the outside – and how dow this relate to freedom?
And what does it matter if you read Hegel right?
Links:
The Theory of Immediacy or the Immediacy of Theory?, Jensen Suther, Nonsite.org
/458/ The Society of Pure Vibe ft. Anna Kornbluh
/473/ Make Alienation Great Again ft. Todd McGowan (features a different response to the question about critical theory after the defeat of the working class)
Jensen's thread on X on capitalist totality and the end of the working class
Jensen's thread on X on the return to Hegel, against economic determinism
