{"product_id":"on-the-pleasure-principle-in-culture-illusions-without-owners-isbn-9781781681756","title":"On The Pleasure Principle In Culture: Illusions Without Owners","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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSports, 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":"Penguin Random House","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46301061054693,"sku":"NP9781781681756","price":95.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781781681756.jpg?v=1767734122","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/on-the-pleasure-principle-in-culture-illusions-without-owners-isbn-9781781681756","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}