KNOWLEDGE IN THE AGE IN THE KNOWLEDGE CDSMS MARIANO ZUKERFELD KNOWLEDGE OF OF IN THE AGE DIGITAL CAPITALISM DIGITAL DIGITAL CAPITALISM An Introduction to Cognitive Materialism Knowledge in the Age of Digital Capitalism: An Introduction to Cognitive Materialism Mariano Zukerfeld Translated from Spanish by Suzanna Wylie University of Westminster Press www.uwestminsterpress.co.uk Competing interests The author declares that they have no competing interests in publishing this book. Published by University of Westminster Press 101 Cavendish Street London W1W 6XH www.uwestminsterpress.co.uk Text © Mariano Zukerfeld 2017 First published 2017 Series cover concept: Mina Bach (minabach.co.uk) Printed in the UK by Lightning Source Ltd. Print and digital versions typeset by Siliconchips Services Ltd. ISBN (Paperback): 978-1-911534-24-2 ISBN (PDF): 978-1-911534-25-9 ISBN (EPUB): 978-1-911534-26-6 ISBN (Kindle): 978-1-911534-27-3 DOI: https://doi.org/10.16997/book3 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommer cial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 444 Castro Street, Suite 900, Mountain View, California, 94041, USA. This license allows for copying and distributing the work, provid ing author attribution is clearly stated, that you are not using the material for commercial purposes, and that modified versions are not distributed. The full text of this book has been peer-reviewed to ensure high academic standards. For full review policies, see: http://www.uwestminsterpress.co.uk/site/publish/ Suggested citation: Zukerfeld, Mariano. 2017. Knowledge in the Age of Digital Capitalism. London: University of Westminster Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.16997/book3 License: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 To read the free, open access version of this book online, visit https://doi.org/10.16997/book3 or scan this QR code with your mobile device: Contents Acknowledgments vii Introduction 1 Chapter 1. Capitalism, Physical Property and Intellectual Property 11 1.1 The Two Arms of Capitalism … 11 1.2 … and the Two Aspects of Goods: Physical Matter and Knowledge Matter 15 1.3 Physical Matter: A Brief History of ‘Matter’ and Energy 16 1.4 Towards the Other Entity? Beyond Physical Matter 19 1.5 From Information to Knowledge Matter 21 1.6 Knowledge Matter and Why It Matters: Towards a Materialist Perspective of Knowledge 24 Chapter 2. How to Know Knowledge? Introducing Cognitive Materialism 31 2.1 Epistemology 31 2.2 Marxism and the Sociology of Knowledge 34 2.3 Cognitive Materialism 39 Chapter 3. The Typology of Knowledge 53 3.1 Objectified Knowledge 55 3.2 Biological Knowledge 62 3.3 Subjective Knowledge 65 3.4 Intersubjective Knowledge 67 3.5 Cognitive Material Configuration 81 3.6 The Cognitive Material Configuration of Merchant, Industrial and Informational Capitalism 84 Chapter 4. Knowledge Flows: From Translation to Capitalism 99 4.1 Three Simple Operations: Transduction, Sensory Conversion and Actuating Conversion 99 vi Knowledge in the Age of Digital Capitalism 4.2 A Complex Operation: Translation 100 4.3 Attention 102 4.4 Productive Processes 103 Chapter 5. Capitalist Exploitation 115 5.1 Introduction: Regulation, Expropriation and Exploitation 115 5.2 Regulation 117 5.3 General Concept of Expropriation and Exploitation: Common Aspects and Divergences 121 5.4 Capitalist Expropriation 125 5.5 Commercial and Non-Commercial Exploitation 127 5.6 Capitalist Exploitation 129 5.7 Three Types of Capitalist Exploitation 138 Chapter 6. Classes: A Theory from a Cognitive Materialist Perspective 161 6.1 Introduction: The Need for a Theory of Social Classes 161 6.2 The Proposal: Classes from an Abstract Perspective 162 6.3 From Feudalism to Mercantile Capitalism 166 6.4 From Mercantile to Industrial Capitalism 168 6.5 From Industrial to Informational Capitalism 171 6.6 Classes in Informational Capitalism 176 Conclusions 179 Notes 193 References 233 Index 253 Acknowledgements Firstly, I owe a debt of gratitude to Christian Fuchs, not only for including this book in the series he edits, for his valuable and opportune suggestions, and for the theoretical influence of his own works but, above all, for his activity coordinating institutional initiatives (conferences, a journal, an institute and this series) which offer unique opportunities to those of us who critically study informational capitalism. I am also grateful to Andrew Lockett, UWP Press Manager, who with a generous demonstration of tolerance towards the cul- tural other, agreed to adapt various formal aspects (the completion date for the manuscript, among others) to the predictably noncompliant idiosyncrasies of this Argentinian author. Without detracting from the previous and following acknowledgements, the fact that this book has seen the published light of day was only possible thanks to an ensemble of rare virtues that have combined in the rigorous work of its translator, Suzanna Wylie. Among them: the ability and the vocation necessary to understand this book right down to the finest details, something indissocia- ble on the one hand from a polished grammatical and cultural command of the particular variety of Spanish we speak in Buenos Aires, and on the other hand, from an impressive knowledge of the authors and currents mentioned here; but also the engagement of an editor when checking sources or making suggestions related to content and, without a doubt, the intensive and generous dedication of huge quantities of time to complete her work in due time and form. viii Knowledge in the Age of Digital Capitalism Although some drafts of this work are several years old, their final composi- tion basically occurred in the Science, Technology and Society centre of the Maimónides University towards the end of 2015 and the beginning of 2016. Therefore, I must thank Adrián Giacchino, director of the research area of the university for his persistent willingness to channel the support of the univer- sity towards the diverse needs that the activity of research entails. I am also grateful to Pablo Kreimer, director of the STS centre (and to all the researchers there) for having given me, in various ways, the respectful stimulus needed for the ideas expressed in this book to prosper. CONICET (Argentinian National Council of Scientific and Technological Research), the institution that funded my doctoral and post-doctoral grants, and that now pays my salary, has pro- vided me with the privilege of being able to devote myself to investigating the areas that I choose with absolute freedom. I feel grateful, in particular, to the members of the research team I am a part of, e-CTS (Studies on Technology, Capitalism, and Society team): Guillermina Yansen (who is the co-author of an earlier version of chapter 6), Agostina Dolcemáscolo, Andrés Rabosto (who recommended crucial literature to me, offered valuable criticism and shared important discussions) and, very espe- cially, to Florencia Botta and Lucila Dughera who, radiating warmth and soli- darity, have lavished support on me whose contours and magnitude would be impossible to describe in words that would fit on these pages. I also owe gratitude to Emilio Cafassi, who gave me the opportunity of ini- tiating myself into research and teaching about the relationship between capi- talism and digital technologies, and who transmitted some aspirations to me, among them that of attempting to have respect for prose while at the same time disrespecting the solemnity of the academic world. Among other excellent professors I have had, I would like to highlight two in particular: Ruben Dri and Juan Iñigo Carrera. Both share the attributes of being less recognised than they should be for their outstanding contributions, being authentically and profoundly humble, and probably, energetically reject- ing what I have done here with their teachings in relation to Hegel and Marx, respectively. I must also thank Valentina Delich, who taught me to traverse the world of intellectual property, and Andrés López who suggested fundamental readings of economics. Chapters 5 and 6 of this book can be read as an extended response to a comment that Nestor Kohan made to me in 2010. My gratitude goes out to him, in recognition of the debt outstanding from an ‘asado’. There are three colleagues who, always at turning points, have offered me vital, abundant and repeated support that until now I have not managed to reciprocate sufficiently. They are: Fernando Peirano, Alex Ruiz Silva and Rocío Rueda Ortiz. In turn, I am grateful to Alejandro Dolina, Agarrate Catalina and Zamba, whose forms and contents have silently but surely influenced this book. Acknowledgements ix On a personal level, some friends have collaborated in diverse but unques- tionable ways: Andrés, Mauro, Mariano, Pablo, Rocío, Mariana, Marina, Cecilia, Jimena. However, the deepest of my personal gratitudes is for a brave man, Norberto Eligio Lopez, who after having carried a handful of burning relics across hostile times and spaces, has shared them with me; little glowing embers that burn as much as they illuminate. Among others, Pablo Llonto and Stella Segado have collaborated in a lucid and impartial manner in the project of shedding light on a still obscure his- tory. From my extraordinary family, I owe special gratitude to my Aunt Sonia, without whose generous help this book, amongst other things, would not have been feasible. Last, but far from least, it is unthinkable for me to consider the idea of grati- tude without automatically associating it with my daughter Laura, wellspring of joy and love, who also, and against all probability, has enthusiastically partici- pated in this editorial project. Introduction I The great classics that have studied Capitalism, those that have criticised it as well as those that have lauded it, have undertaken the task by privileging the most diverse range of variables.