Capitalist Realism: Is There No Alternative? Cover
Podcast Mentions

Capitalist Realism Is There No Alternative?

Mark Fisher

An analysis of the ways in which capitalism has presented itself as the only realistic political-economic system.

Podcasts 2
Quotes 11
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Behind the Bastards

Podcast

Behind the Bastards

Mark Fisher's work was quoted to discuss how the state becomes more removed but hostile, and how this relates to the aesthetics of politics and capitalist realism.

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This is very similar to something that me and Mia talked about right as Trump got elected in terms of the state becoming more removed but hostile.

— Episode: It Could Happen Here Weekly 218

Episode: It Could Happen Here Weekly 218

Mark Fisher's work was quoted to discuss how the state becomes more removed but hostile, and how this relates to the aesthetics of politics and capitalist realism.

"

This is very similar to something that me and Mia talked about right as Trump got elected in terms of the state becoming more removed but hostile.

Philosophize This!

Podcast

Philosophize This!

The hosts discussed the title across two episodes, using it to explain how capitalist realism creates a cultural amnesia that blocks people from diagnosing the present and imagining alternative futures. Stephen West and other contributors highlighted Fisher's argument that neoliberal and post‑modern ideas embed a psychic infrastructure that makes it harder to envision the end of capitalism than the end of the world. The conversation framed the book as a key lens for understanding why contemporary society struggles to think beyond capitalism.

Episode: Episode #203 ... Why the future is being slowly ca...

Mark Fisher argues that capitalist realism is a difficult to move away from, particularly in the Western world. He compares how our society deals with the past to Leonard in the movie Memento, as he has enterograde amnesia and can't form new memories. We are in a state of cultural amnesia and, as a result, are unable to properly diagnose the present or imagine a different social future.

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Mark Fisher compares how we are as a society to the character named Leonard in the movie Memento, directed by Christopher Nolan back in the year 2000.

We are living in a state of cultural amnesia to Mark Fisher, where we can't remember our past, which then makes it impossible to accurately diagnose the present, and even more difficult to be able to imagine a different social future that may be better off for people.

Mark Fisher has a famous quote. He says that to live in the 21st century is to have 20th century culture delivered to you through 21st century technology.

It is to have the ideas and the art of the 20th century shown to you in 4k or streamed to you with high-speed internet.

And as he said, capitalist realism is impossible to define in a single sentence.

Episode: Episode #202 ... Why we can't think beyond capital...

Mark Fisher's concept of 'Capitalist Realism' describes a state of affairs where people cannot imagine an alternative future to the capitalist system. This situation, unique to history, results from the confluence of neoliberal and postmodern ideas. Fisher believed it clouds the ability to see the world accurately and weakens the ability to imagine different social futures.

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It's easier for me to imagine the end of the world than it is to imagine the end of capitalism.

It's a cultural logic that's accepted among people. Mark Fisher calls it at one point a quote, psychic infrastructure. It's a set of common attitudes that people have that clouds their ability to see the world accurately.

Government is not the solution to our problem, government is the problem.

socialized losses and privatized gains

That's on you, right? You have to work harder. You have to change your life if you want to make that happen.

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