Why read Triumph of Emptiness?

Book cover of Triumph of Emptiness: Consumption, Higher Education, and Work Organization

Book description

In this book, Mats Alvesson aims to demystify some popular and upbeat claims about a range of phenomena, including the knowledge society, consumption, branding, higher education, organizational change, professionalization, and leadership. He contends that a culture of grandiosity is leading to numerous inflated claims. We no longer talk about plans…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Triumph of Emptiness as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Yiannis Gabriel

Author

This magisterial book punctures the grandiosity and narcissism of our times when we succumb to the illusions that image, hype, and empty talk create value, when everyone must claim to be cutting edge and a world leader. Alvesson demonstrates that behind such grandiosity lurks an emptiness of meaning, of value, and of imagination. His powerful critical discussions of modern consumption, higher education, professionalism, and leadership insinuate that our current malaise goes far deeper than the economic crisis in which we find ourselves. This is a book that shows how we can recover meaning in the work we do as social…

From Yiannis' list on reigniting meaningful social sciences.