Friendship in an Age of Economics: Resisting the Forces of Neoliberalism

by Todd May Class of 1941 Memorial Professor of the Humanities, Clemson University

Overview

We live in an age of economics. We are encouraged not only to think of our work but also of our lives in economic terms. In many of our practices, we are told that we are consumers and entrepreneurs. What has come to be called neoliberalism is not only a theory of market relations; it is a theory of human relations. Friendship in an Age of Economics both describes and confronts this new reality. It confronts it on some familiar terrain: that of friendship. Friendship, particularly close or deep friendship, resists categorization into economic terms. In a sustained investigation of friendship, this book shows how friendship offers an alternative to neoliberal relationships and can help lay the groundwork for resistance to it.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780739175828
Publisher:	Lexington Books
Publication date:	06/21/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	164
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Todd May is Class of 1941 Memorial Professor of the Humanities at Clemson University.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Neoliberalism
Chapter 2: Figures
Chapter 3: The Figures of Neoliberalism
Chapter 4: Varieties of Friendship
Chapter 5: Deep Friendships
Appendix to Chapter 5
Chapter 6: Friendship as Alternative to Neoliberalism
Chapter 7: Friendship as Resistance to Neoliberalism
Chapter 8: Conclusion

What People are Saying About This

John Protevi

Todd May's book on friendship in our age is the sort of book people used to complain philosophers don't write: smart, insightful, clearly written,on a topic of vital importance,and able to be appreciated by philosophers and non-philosophers alike. Aristotle, on whom May writes wonderfully, said that only beasts or gods have no need of friends. So if you don't fall into either of those categories, you owe it to yourself to read this book.

Jules Lobel

Todd May's important book is a powerful critique of the role neoliberalism plays in our personal lives, and of the type of life it encourages us to live. But May also presents an alternative based on deep friendship, and demonstrates the possibilities of overcoming the sense of hopelessness that so pervades modern America.

Editorial Reviews

Todd May's book on friendship in our age is the sort of book people used to complain philosophers don't write: smart, insightful, clearly written, on a topic of vital importance, and able to be appreciated by philosophers and non-philosophers alike. Aristotle, on whom May writes wonderfully, said that only beasts or gods have no need of friends. So if you don't fall into either of those categories, you owe it to yourself to read this book.

John Protevi

Friendship in an Age of Economics is itself an important intervention concerning 'how we might live in the contemporary world with its particular power arrangements' (103)—and how we might change it.

Anarchist Developments in Cultural Studies

Todd May's important book is a powerful critique of the role neoliberalism plays in our personal lives, and of the type of life it encourages us to live. But May also presents an alternative based on deep friendship, and demonstrates the possibilities of overcoming the sense of hopelessness that so pervades modern America.

Jules Lobel

May's book makes many insightful claims and raises a lot of intriguing questions about the nature of friendship and its role in the good life.

Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews