Bernard Stiegler on Cinema, Consciousness, and Hyperindustrial Culture

In a 2001 discussion, philosopher Bernard Stiegler reflects on his work "Le Temps du cinéma ou la question du mal-être" (Galilée, 2001), which is the third installment of "La Technique et le temps." He posits that the cultural industry’s creation of temporal artifacts facilitates an industrial approach to temporalizing consciousness. Unlike the Frankfurt School, Stiegler centers his examination on technical items such as film and recorded music, introducing the concept of tertiary retention to illustrate how these recorded entities align with consciousness. He warns of a shift towards a hyperindustrial era where material and symbolic goods converge, criticizing the uniformity of secondary retentions. Stiegler advocates for collective individuation through mnemo-technologies and regards art as a néguentropic influence, urging a revival of critical aesthetic analysis. He has assumed a new position at IRCAM.