{"product_id":"on-the-pleasure-principle-in-culture","title":"On the Pleasure Principle in Culture","description":"In this fascinating work of cultural theory and philosophy, Robert  Pfaller explores the hidden cost of our contemporary approach to  pleasure, belief and illusion. \u0026lt;br\u0026gt;\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;Sports, design, eroticism, social  intercourse and games—indeed, all those aspects of our culture commonly  deemed \"pleasurable\"—seem to require beliefs that many regard as  illusory. But in considering themselves above the self-deceptions of the  crowd, those same sceptics are prone to dismissing a majority of the  population as naive or misguided. In doing so, they create a false  opposition between the 'simple' masses and their more enlightened  rulers. And this dichotomy then functions as an ideological support for  neoliberal government: citizens become irrational victims, to be ruled  over by a protective security state. What initially appears to be a  universal pleasure principle—the role of \"anonymous illusions\" in mass  culture—in this way becomes a rationale for dismantling democracy.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57507790422389,"sku":"9781781681749","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781781681749.jpg?v=1787042930","url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/products\/on-the-pleasure-principle-in-culture","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}