Todd Dufresne

Todd Dufresne is best known in the scholarly world as a critical reader of Sigmund Freud, his most recent book on that topic being 2017's [b:The Late Sigmund Freud: Or, The Last Word on Psychoanalysis, Society, and All the Riddles of Life|34752942|The Late Sigmund Freud Or, The Last Word on Psychoanalysis, Society, and All the Riddles of Life|Todd Dufresne|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1491136843l/34752942._SY75_.jpg|55948511]. With The Democracy of Suffering, Dufresne turns his attention to the issue of climate change, in particular the potential catastrophic horror its consequences could inflict not just on those already living in grinding poverty, but on all human beings - hence, the "democratic" nature of suffering mentioned in the title.

Dufresne divides his book into three main parts, focusing in turn on the past, the present, and the future. Writing in clear, accessible English, he begins Part 1: The Past (c.1784-1968): Subjects of Reason by giving a sophisticated overview of the philosophical foundations of the Enlightenment, capitalist subject, walking the reader through its conceptual development via such figures as Kant, Hegel, Marx, Heidegger, and Foucault. We also get a tour of more recent theorists of the counter-Enlightenment movement known as postmodernism, with Lyotard singled out as its key spokesman. Dufresne is not particularly interested in being "for" or "against" the Enlightenment - what ultimately concerns him is whether a philosophical outlook is unproductively focused on the present or past, or whether it is productively oriented toward the future. A philosophy of the future is what is needed, he argues, if we are to see a way out of this mess.

Part 2: The Present (1968-2008): The World as Object or the Anthropocene Condition is book-ended by two important years: 1968, the year of worldwide protests against the status quo, and 2008, which witnessed the Global Financial Crisis from which capitalism has not ever truly recovered. Dufresne moves freely between thinkers who have been influential commentators on this crucial period, including Heidegger's critique of technology, Mark Fisher's critique of capitalist realism, Naomi Klein's meditations on crisis as a political tool, and James Lovelock's apocalyptic predictions. What we are witnessing, Dufresne argues, is the transition into the Anthropocene, a new period of history that is defined by the fact that humans have drastically shaped its parameters. This new period also presents us with a potential catastrophe, with suffering on a mass scale, up to and including human extinction. Dufresne emphasizes that what is required is not just a technological and economic solution to these problems, but a revolutionary shift in our attitudes about what it means to be human in the world. That is to say, the overwhelming evidence of these first two periods points to the fact that solving the impending crisis is fundamentally a philosophical project.

Part 3: The Future (2008-2100): On the Democracy of Suffering begins, rather surprisingly, with a meditation on Plato's ideal republic. Dufresne uses this example to remind readers of the need to be forward-thinking, to implement a future that is grounded in justice as well as sustainability. He then goes over both the evidence that science has provided, as well as a number of practical guidelines to ensure that catastrophe is avoided, or mitigated at the very least.

In The Democracy of Suffering, Dufresne has put his finger right on the pulse of contemporary society. Everywhere we look today there are environmental crises: the melting of the polar ice caps; the rampaging fires in Australia, California, and the Amazon; earthquakes in Puerto Rico; floods in Djakarta and the Philippines; undrinkable water in places like Flint, MI. The terrible consequences of environmental abuse that have been predicted for the last few decades are coming to pass, without question, and Dufresne's book is a timely call to arms. It is a book rippling with the right mixture of anger, analysis, and ideas, a working solution to the extraordinary complacency that is holding back the implementation of the necessary steps to correct this situation.

There were some philosophical ideas that I would like to have seen addressed in the course of The Democracy of Suffering, although these issues no doubt reflect my own interests rather than constituting any real fault in Dufresne's approach. For instance, I am repeatedly drawn back to Spinoza's question as to why it is that we, as human beings, find it so hard to put into action ideas that are obviously in line with what is good for us? Why do we so often have to be urged to act for our benefit, even survival? That resistance to our own good is a fascinating puzzle.

The other thing I would like to have seen, having just finished Jason Louv's excellent [b:John Dee and the Empire of Angels: Enochian Magick and the Occult Roots of the Modern World|35721518|John Dee and the Empire of Angels Enochian Magick and the Occult Roots of the Modern World|Jason Louv|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1519614030l/35721518._SX50_.jpg|57224635], is a little contextualization of the dire scenario that Dufresne presents, especially in Part 3. As Louv argues, modern society, especially modern American society, has been addicted for centuries to the apocalyptic fantasy that the world will end. I think it is important to contextualize and distinguish the permutations of climate change from that powerful cultural and religious narrative.

Overall, Dufresne's book is a timely intervention in what is shaping up to be the topic of a future that is rapidly bearing down on us. As such, The Democracy of Suffering is a book that bears an important message, the key question being - will enough people heed its message to make a difference? For the sake of the future of humanity, let us hope so.… (mer)

While the term "French Freud" usually refers to Jacques Lacan, this collection takes the broader of view of the interplay between psychoanalysis and French culture. What is particularly interesting for me about this book is the extent to which it is a sort of "renegade" or "skeptical" take on this question.

This is reflected, for instance, in the fact that contributors like Paul Roazen, François Roustang, and Mikkel Borch-Jacobsen have long-established reputations for being critical of the shortcoming of psychoanalytic thought and practice. On top of this, the editor, Todd Dufresne, includes essays by deconstructionists like Rodolph Gasché and the man himself, Jacques Derrida, whose critique of Lacan in The Post Card is well-known.

The overall result is not a hatchet job, as one might fear, but a nuanced and genuinely critical assessment of the place of psychoanalysis and Lacan in French thought. The quality of the chapters is both high and even - I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Derrida's essay on Foucault, for instance, which argues that the latter's work on madness is both "inside" and "outside" psychoanalysis. Gary Genosko also contributes a charming essay on the similarities between Lacan and Marshall McLuhan.… (mer)