WEEK FOUR: EXISTENTIALISM, MARXISM AND HATING ON CAPITALISM

My political views tend to differ from those of most of the architectural fraternity- I am a capitalist, a right-wing libertarian who is inherently distrustful of governments.  That said, I often find myself at odds with much of the socialist, Marxist rhetoric being spewed by design intellectuals, desperate to find deeper meaning in their work.  This weeks first reading has, therefore, left me rather unimpressed.

Winter's (2007) article outlines a particular opinion of Debord which has me amused to say the least, that capitalism has created pseudo-needs to increase consumption, amongst other arguments. I find it interesting that this view be put forth to, of all things, designers.  Designers- architects or otherwise- produce consumer products, as a livelihood. Without the "pseudo-need" for people to have new homes, commercial facilities and public buildings, architecture, as a discipline, would contract dramatically.

As much as the design intellectual would often love to rise-up against the evils of capitalism, he is at odds with a confusing dichotomy- without capitalism to pay for his works, architecture would reduce to simple drafting of repetitive designs- indeed it is only those "on top" with the wallets to fund the exciting, new and groundbreaking works of design, but to accept capitalism is to sell one's soul to the devil, or so the intellectuals would have one think. 

I, for one, am moving from the intellectual sphere, into reality.


Winters, E., 2007. Politics and the Situationist International. in. Aesthetics and architecture, London ; New York: Continuum. pp92-98