(Ralph Lowi and possibly Kara Attrep)

Todd McGowan has argued that we are moving from a society based on the prohibition of enjoyment to one in which “all is permitted.”  Paradoxically, this makes it harder for us to experience enjoyment.  What can a Lacanian reading of the economy of enjoyment tell us about consumerism in the context of late-capitalism?  And how does music help to provide false promises of the fulfillment of desire? 

Readings: Selections from Todd McGowan’s “The End of Dissatisfaction: Jacques Lacan and the Emerging Society of Enjoyment” (Other readings TBA)