Max Weber essential argues that man is subordinate to the desire for more and more money and the material goods which can be acquired. He states that "man is dominated . . .by acquisition as the ultimate purpose in life, " and that this type of subordination is "a leading principle of capitalism". He goes on to link this particular ideology to its moral foundation in religious asceticism, and declares it an "Iron Cage" for humanity. In other words, man is dominated, encapsulated, and incapacitated by capitalism; an ideology. Thus, any ideology would pose as an "Iron Cage". This is similar to the idea that religious ideology, for example, acts as a blinder. Moreover, as Durkheim claims in the Cultural Logic of Collective Representations, this tendency to cage ourselves appears as part of the human condition.
How can men be accepting of this, especially in America - touted as the land of the free? For what purpose would human beings be inclined toward such a thing?
Some would say this is what gives meaning and direction in life; that the ideological box, in whatever form we desire, provides motivation to advance ourselves. Ideology lays out a framework to operate under and suggests strategies for coping with life struggles. It gives reason for being. It is no wonder then that Durkheim finds Anomie proven to be an extraordinarily challenging state for humans to cope with.
As Weber frames it, Traditional authority and Rational authority are what lead men to submit to the capitalist way of life.
Today, there is a significant iron cage constructed through conservative media and individuals like Rupert Murdoch who monopolizes these media outlets. This type of system uses propaganda thick with fear tactics, and draws on individual’s faith in religion and patriotism in order to dominate and incapacitate masses of society.
I chose the following image because it highlights the purported desire man has for freedom, while also alluding to the human condition to crave and construct cages for ourselves.
I liked the example/image that you used to depict your ideas on ideology as an iron cage. Why do you suppose human beings choose to stay in their cages that they construct and do not choose to break free from the capitalist way of life?
ReplyDeleteI think even without capitalism as a cage, there would be some other cage in place. I think we cannot detach from ideology(our cages - in whatever form they take) otherwise we wouldn't know how to operate in the world. We would lose a significant aspect to our very sense of Being in the world which I think is what Durkheim points out in his discussion of the consequences of the state of Anomie. I think we HAVE to feel connected and a part of to the world around us to some degree ... breaking free - becoming detached, I think, can result in too much ambiguity and stress in life that many people find difficult to bear.
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