Description
Souls at Work
Book Summary
In Souls at Work, Franco "Bifo" Berardi analyzes the radical transformation of labor exploitation: from the discipline of the industrial body to the capture of language, intelligence, and affect in contemporary capitalism. The author offers a profound reflection on the pathogenic effects of this new form of subjection, in which the subject's most intimate sphere is put to work. Through a critical journey connecting social philosophy, technology, and the struggles of the 20th century, Berardi provides the keys to understanding the crisis of critical thought in the face of the total subsumption of life.
What is it about?
The book begins with a key observation: exploitation is no longer exercised primarily on bodies, as it was in the industrial factory, but on the soul. Berardi examines how cognitive capitalism has managed to mobilize our linguistic, emotional, and relational capacities, turning them into commodities. To do this, he critically revisits the Hegelian concept of alienation and the inversion proposed by Italian "workerism" in the 1960s and 70s, replacing it with the notion of "estrangement" as active alienation. Over 280 pages, the author maps out a diagnosis of the pathogenic effects of this capture of subjectivity, exploring what remains of critical thought and how it relates to the transformations of labor and technology since the final decades of the 20th century.
Main Themes
- The transformation of labor exploitation: from industrial labor on the body to immaterial labor on language, intelligence, and affect.
- The critique of the classic concept of alienation and the proposal of "estrangement" as active alienation from the Italian workerist tradition.
- The pathogenic effects of contemporary capitalism on subjectivity and mental health.
- The relationship between critical thought, social struggles, and technological evolution in the final decades of the 20th century.
- The total subsumption of the subject's intimate sphere by capital.
Who is it recommended for?
This book is aimed at readers interested in social and political philosophy, the sociology of labor, the critique of contemporary capitalism, and Italian autonomist thought. It is especially relevant for those seeking to understand the transformations of work in the digital age, the effects of precarity, and the relationship between economy, technology, and subjectivity. It will also be of great value to students and professionals in the social sciences, humanities, and critical theory.
What this book offers
- A solid theoretical framework for understanding the exploitation of immaterial and cognitive labor in current capitalism.
- A critical and updated review of the concepts of alienation and estrangement applied to the post-industrial context.
- An analysis of the psychological and social effects of the capture of the affective and linguistic sphere by capital.
- Conceptual tools to rethink the role of critical thought in the face of new forms of domination.
Technical Specifications
- Author: Berardi, Franco BIFO
- Publisher: Enclave de Libros Ediciones
- Language: Spanish
- Topic: LITERARY ESSAYS, SOCIAL AND POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY, SOCIOLOGY OF WORK AND LABOR
- Collection: TANGENTES
- Binding: Paperback
- Publication Date: September 2016
- Number of pages: 280
- Weight: 437 g
Editorial Assessment
Souls at Work is a fundamental work for those who wish to go beyond superficial analyses of work in the digital age. Franco Berardi offers a lucid and rigorous diagnosis of how capitalism has managed to colonize subjectivity, turning our most human capacities into exploitable resources. His approach, which connects to the tradition of Italian workerism, provides an essential critical perspective for understanding contemporary malaise. It is a dense but accessible essay that invites reflection and provides valuable conceptual tools for the current debate on the future of work and life.