Alienation and Acceleration: Towards a Critical Theory of Late-modern TemporalityModern life is speeding-up, incessantly. Strange as it is, while the art of saving time reaches unprecedented heights through the introduction of ever-new technologies of communication and production, it nevertheless feels like we are running out of time. In all western societies alike, time-famine is rising and individuals report the impression that they have to run faster and faster each year - not in order to get somewhere, but just to stay in place! This book presents an analytic framework to identify the causes and effects of the various sped-up-processes which define modernity - and it develops a critical theory of late-modern temporality. Crucial for this is the idea that acceleration in the end leads to monstrous forms of alienation from time and space, from things and actions - and from self and others. |
Contents
Introduction | 7 |
A THEORY OF SOCIAL ACCELERATION 1 What is social Acceleration? | 13 |
The DrivingWheels of Social Acceleration | 26 |
Copyright | |
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Common terms and phrases
acceleration of social acceleration-processes acceleration-society acceleratory actions and experiences actually appears argued arguments autonomy Axel Honneth become capitalist Charles Taylor communication concept of alienation consequence contemporary version Critical Theory cultural de-synchronization defined democratic develop dominant dynamization economic empirical ethical critique everyday fact feel forms of deceleration forms of social Frankfurt/M functionalist Furthermore Georg Simmel Gergen Habermas Hence human idea identity increasing individual institutions Jürgen Habermas Kenneth Gergen lives logic of competition longer Lübbe Marx modern society nature options pace pathologies patterns Paul Virilio phenomena polar inertia political potential process of social production project of modernity promise rates realize realm relationship relevant religious Richard Sennett Rosa self-determination sense social acceleration social actors social alienation social change social world sociological space speed struggle for recognition subjects technological acceleration temporal norms Theory of Social things totalitarian transformation turn Ulrich Beck version of Critical Virilio watching TV