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AUT: RE: councilism, ideology

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Some points from the last chapter of Society of the Spectacle, by =
Debord.  Very thoughtful.

212

Ideology is the intellectual basis of class societies within the =
conflictual course of history. Ideological expressions have never been =
pure fictions; they represent a distorted consciousness of realities, =
and as such they have been real factors that have in turn produced real =
distorting effects. This interconnection is intensified with the advent =
of the spectacle- the materialization of ideology brought about by the =
concrete success of an autonomized system of economic production - which =
virtually identifies social reality with an ideology that has remolded =
all reality in its own image.


213

Once ideology - the abstract will to universality and the illusion =
associated with that will - is legitimized by the universal abstraction =
and the effective dictatorship of illusion that prevail in modern =
society, it is no longer a voluntaristic struggle of the fragmentary, =
but its triumph. Ideological pretensions take on a sort of flat, =
positivistic precision: they no longer represent historical choices, =
they are assertions of undeniable facts. The particular names of =
ideologies thus tend to disappear. The specifically ideological forms of =
system-supporting labor are reduced to an "epistemological base" that is =
itself presumed to be beyond ideology. Materialized ideology has no =
name, just as it has no formulatable historical agenda. Which is another =
way of saying that the history of different ideologies is over.


214

Ideology, whose whole internal logic led toward what Mannheim calls =
"total ideology" - the despotism of a fragment imposing itself as =
pseudoknowledge of a frozen totality, as a totalitarian worldview - has =
reached its culmination in the immobilized spectacle of nonhistory. Its =
culmination is also its dissolution into society as a whole. When that =
society itself is concretely dissolved, ideology - the final =
irrationality standing in the way of historical life - must also =
disappear.

Cheers,
Chris

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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Some points from the last chapter of =
Society of the=20
Spectacle, by Debord.&nbsp; Very thoughtful.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>212</FONT></DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Ideology is the intellectual basis of =
class=20
societies within the conflictual course of history. Ideological =
expressions have=20
never been pure fictions; they represent a distorted consciousness of =
realities,=20
and as such they have been real factors that have in turn produced real=20
distorting effects. This interconnection is intensified with the advent =
of the=20
spectacle=97 the materialization of ideology brought about by the =
concrete success=20
of an autonomized system of economic production =97 which virtually =
identifies=20
social reality with an ideology that has remolded all reality in its own =

image.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>
<DIV><BR>213</DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>Once ideology =97 the abstract will to universality and the =
illusion=20
associated with that will =97 is legitimized by the universal =
abstraction and the=20
effective dictatorship of illusion that prevail in modern society, it is =
no=20
longer a voluntaristic struggle of the fragmentary, but its triumph. =
Ideological=20
pretensions take on a sort of flat, positivistic precision: they no =
longer=20
represent historical choices, they are assertions of undeniable facts. =
The=20
particular names of ideologies thus tend to disappear. The specifically=20
ideological forms of system-supporting labor are reduced to an =
=93epistemological=20
base=94 that is itself presumed to be beyond ideology. Materialized =
ideology has=20
no name, just as it has no formulatable historical agenda. Which is =
another way=20
of saying that the history of different ideologies is over.</DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><BR>214</DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>Ideology, whose whole internal logic led toward what Mannheim calls =
=93total=20
ideology=94 =97 the despotism of a fragment imposing itself as =
pseudoknowledge of a=20
frozen totality, as a totalitarian worldview =97 has reached its =
culmination in=20
the immobilized spectacle of nonhistory. Its culmination is also its =
dissolution=20
into society as a whole. When that society itself is concretely =
dissolved,=20
ideology =97 the final irrationality standing in the way of historical =
life =97 must=20
also disappear.</DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>Cheers,</DIV>
<DIV>Chris</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>

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