Re: [OPE-L] The role of irrational beliefs

[glevy@xxxxxxxxx]

Hi Jurriaan,

In the following brief comment I will focus only on the role of
rationality and irrationality in capitalist society:

The systematic and necessary link between the rational and irrational is
at the very core of capitalism -- commodity fetishism.

A theory of consumption under capitalism should, imo, investigate the
ways in which commodity fetishism enters systematically into the
creation and modification of needs and the relation between capitalists
as sellers and (working class and capitalist) consumers as buyers.  A
Marxian theory of advertising and marketing should seek to grasp the
concrete ways in which this process manifests itself.

Is this an appeal to a notion of moral behavior?  I don't think so ...
although it seems to me that commodity fetishism itself gives rise
to a peculiar conception of morality.

In solidarity, Jerry


> But the underlying problem I think is really - as the reference to
> "interests" already suggests - that notions of rationality are
> inescapably linked to notions of moral behaviour, i.e. views of what is
> rational and irrational are linked to views of what is morally correct
> and incorrect.
>