Capitalist realism requires materialist explanation, not individual psychology

Evidence

There is a problem, however, in seeing capitalist realism just as a belief and an attitude, in that both are based on individual psychology. The discussion needed is one that interrogates where those beliefs and attitudes come from, for what we are actually dealing with is the social decomposition that gives rise to them. For that, we really need a narrative about the decline of solidarity and the decline of security — the neoliberal project achieved its aim of undermining them. Capitalist realism then is also a reflection of the recomposition of various forces in society. It is not just that people are persuaded of certain beliefs, but rather that the beliefs people have reflect the way that forces in society are composed in contemporary capitalism. — Mark Fisher (edited by Darren Ambrose), K-Punk, 1644

Categorization

• DEEPTHINKING: Methodological demand that ideological attitudes be grounded in social decomposition rather than persuasion or individual belief.
• XREF: connects to: Capitalist realism falls only to internal inconsistency, not moral critique — Mark Fisher, Capitalist Realism: Is There No…, 36; Moral critiques of capitalism only strengthen its realism — Mark Fisher, Capitalist Realism: Is There No…, 36; Capitalist realism reflects social decomposition, not just individual persuasion. — Mark Fisher (edited by Darren Ambrose), K-Punk: The Collected and Unpublished…, 1644 (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• Postmodern ideas’ acceptance, not their content, is what needs materialist explanation #corroborates (0.88) — Alex Callinicos, Against Postmodernism, 617
• Capitalist realism reflects social decomposition, not just individual persuasion. #corroborates (0.85) — Mark Fisher (edited by Darren Ambrose), K-Punk, 1644
• Moral critiques of capitalism only strengthen its realism #expands (0.80) — Mark Fisher, Capitalist Realism, 36
• Capitalist realism falls only to internal inconsistency, not moral critique #contradicts (0.72) — Mark Fisher, Capitalist Realism, 36