Lyotard grounded capitalism’s force in neguentropy, not human desire

Evidence

What the fable depicts is a conflict between two energy processes. One leads to the destruction of all systems, all bodies, living or not, on our planet and the solar system. But within this process of entropy, which is necessary and continuous, another process that is contingent and discontinuous, at least for a long time, acts in a contrary sense by increasing differentiation of its systems. This movement cannot halt the first (unless it could find a means to refuel the sun), but it can escape from catastrophe by abandoning its cosmic habitat’. The ultimate motor of capitalism is thus not thirst for profit, or any human desire: it is rather development as neguentropy. ‘Development is not an invention of human beings. Human beings are an invention of development’. — Perry Anderson, The Origins of Postmodernity, 79

Categorization

• DEFINE: Introduces ‘neguentropy’ as Lyotard’s ultimate ground of capitalism’s dynamism — a distinctive concept worth defining.
• ADDENDUM: The apocalyptic exodus-four-billion-years-from-now and the sacrifice-of-a-whole-planet imagination resonates with the ‘On Sacrifice’ article — the human species as the sacrificial fuel for a force that outlives its habitat.
• XREF: connects to: Lyotard naturalized capitalism’s victory as pre-human cosmic natural selection — Perry Anderson, The Origins of Postmodernity, 78; Lyotard argued exploited workers experienced exploitation as erotic enjoyment — Perry Anderson, The Origins of Postmodernity, 69; Profitable capitalism must forever discover new uncommodified emotions to exploit — Yanis Varoufakis, Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism, 129 (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• Lyotard naturalized capitalism’s victory as pre-human cosmic natural selection #expands (0.85) — Perry Anderson, The Origins of Postmodernity, 78