Caterina.net: The Accursed Share

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{ Friday, November 11, 2005 }

The Accursed Share

I am fascinated by this book,which I've been reading through the jetlag-caffeine-vampire phase of the trip. I want to find a good quote that distills what this is. The Accursed Share by Georges Bataille, is a book of economics in which he posits that it is luxury, and not privation, that is the primary cause of all human ills. What a culture does with the inevitable surplus, or excess, is what defines it.

More on this in a bit; I'm at Design Engaged now in Berlin, and the first talk has begun, and I will be paying attention.

LINK | 12:36 AM | TB

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{ COMMENTS }

I highly recommend Georges Didi-Huberman's book on Bataille (La Ressemblance Informe).

miladus | November 11, 2005 5:31 AM

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Oh no, you've done it again. You've got me thinking...

How is the "accursed share" in a personal, macroeconomic, or societal context any different than "excessive free cash flow" in the context of a firm?

Too much free cash flow leads to agency problems, especially poor investment choices. Cash rich companies bear watching for signs of entrenched management, shareholder (and stakeholder) abuse, and a dearth of new ideas. (/me looks toward Redmond...)

Does Bataille offer a similar solution for "bigger scale" problems?

j david | November 16, 2005 8:13 AM

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Oh, gosh. That's a good one. And it chimes with so much of my work. Head pinging now. Derrida's supplementarity, for one...

nick Sweeney | November 22, 2005 4:00 PM

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Wait... are y'all seriously talking about Batille and Derrida in conjunction with "how can firms manage excess free cash?"

you will be first against the wall

Thorn | March 15, 2007 9:56 PM

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