Badiou and Agamben Beyond the Happiness Industry and its Critics
Modern continental thought is skeptical toward happiness and no longer easily reconciles its pursuit with a desire for justice, the good, and truth. Critical theory has unmasked happiness as a commodity within an industry, an ideological tool for control, and a sedative to, justification of, and dis...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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De Gruyter
2024-02-01
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| Series: | Open Philosophy |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1515/opphil-2022-0276 |
| _version_ | 1797294643150323712 |
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| author | de Boer Ype |
| author_facet | de Boer Ype |
| author_sort | de Boer Ype |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Modern continental thought is skeptical toward happiness and no longer easily reconciles its pursuit with a desire for justice, the good, and truth. Critical theory has unmasked happiness as a commodity within an industry, an ideological tool for control, and a sedative to, justification of, and distraction from social injustice. This article argues that these diagnoses make it all the more important that philosophy, rather than taking leave of happiness, once again turns it into a serious object of thought. Employing the work of Badiou and Agamben as case studies, it asks what a critically informed yet affirmative philosophy of happiness should entail at a structural level. Assessing their philosophical models of happiness, this article 1) recognizes in their work a revival of the ancient ideal of a true, just, and happy life, 2) opens up a new way of evaluating their work, and 3) articulates basic requirements of a contemporary, affirmative philosophy of happiness beyond the happiness industry and its critics. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T21:34:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f5b05d525fb24a658ca293c9655f6692 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2543-8875 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T21:34:12Z |
| publishDate | 2024-02-01 |
| publisher | De Gruyter |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Open Philosophy |
| spelling | doaj.art-f5b05d525fb24a658ca293c9655f66922024-02-26T14:29:00ZengDe GruyterOpen Philosophy2543-88752024-02-01718087610.1515/opphil-2022-0276Badiou and Agamben Beyond the Happiness Industry and its Criticsde Boer Ype0Faculty of Philosophy Theology and Religious Sciences, Department of Metaphysics and Philosophical Anthropology, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The NetherlandsModern continental thought is skeptical toward happiness and no longer easily reconciles its pursuit with a desire for justice, the good, and truth. Critical theory has unmasked happiness as a commodity within an industry, an ideological tool for control, and a sedative to, justification of, and distraction from social injustice. This article argues that these diagnoses make it all the more important that philosophy, rather than taking leave of happiness, once again turns it into a serious object of thought. Employing the work of Badiou and Agamben as case studies, it asks what a critically informed yet affirmative philosophy of happiness should entail at a structural level. Assessing their philosophical models of happiness, this article 1) recognizes in their work a revival of the ancient ideal of a true, just, and happy life, 2) opens up a new way of evaluating their work, and 3) articulates basic requirements of a contemporary, affirmative philosophy of happiness beyond the happiness industry and its critics.https://doi.org/10.1515/opphil-2022-0276badiouagambenhappinesscritical theoryhappiness industryethicstrue lifesaint paullove |
| spellingShingle | de Boer Ype Badiou and Agamben Beyond the Happiness Industry and its Critics Open Philosophy badiou agamben happiness critical theory happiness industry ethics true life saint paul love |
| title | Badiou and Agamben Beyond the Happiness Industry and its Critics |
| title_full | Badiou and Agamben Beyond the Happiness Industry and its Critics |
| title_fullStr | Badiou and Agamben Beyond the Happiness Industry and its Critics |
| title_full_unstemmed | Badiou and Agamben Beyond the Happiness Industry and its Critics |
| title_short | Badiou and Agamben Beyond the Happiness Industry and its Critics |
| title_sort | badiou and agamben beyond the happiness industry and its critics |
| topic | badiou agamben happiness critical theory happiness industry ethics true life saint paul love |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1515/opphil-2022-0276 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT deboerype badiouandagambenbeyondthehappinessindustryanditscritics |