Adrian Johnston is an academic philosopher teaching at the University of New Mexico as of February 2024. He specializes in Marxist thought. In 2024, his book Infinite Greed argued that people in capitalist societies pursue wealth through work at the expense of their own dreams and desires. ¹

Education

Adrian Johnston is a philosophy professor at the University of New Mexico (UNM). Before arriving at UNM, he received a Ph.D. in Philosophy from Stony Brook University and did a fellowship in psychoanalysis at Emory University. ²

At UNM, he studied German idealism, Marxism, psychoanalysis, metaphysics, political philosophy and the philosophy of science. These research interests place Johnston in the continental school of philosophical thought. He argues for a “transcendental materialism,” which combines a Marxist point of view with a belief that the natural sciences can explain much of the world’s events. ³

Philosophy

Continental Philosophy

Continental philosophy is a term that emerged in the 19th century to distinguish philosophers operating in Central Europe (the “continent”) from those operating in Britain. While traditional – or analytic – philosophers tend to focus on the logical connections between assertions, continental philosophers focus on context and history in relation to philosophical questions. Examples of influential analytic philosophers include John Locke, David Hume, and John Stuart Mill. Influential continental philosophers include G.W.F. Hegel, the father of “German idealism”, Karl Marx, and Michel Foucault. ^{4 5}

Transcendental Materialism

Transcendental materialism combines idealism and materialism and suggests that the mind and the material world are interconnected. Under this philosophical system, the inner workings of the mind are not separate from the natural world; they help shape our reality. In 2013, Johnston explained his theory of “transcendental materialism” as a natural extension of the philosophies of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, who interpreted history through material or class struggle. ⁶

Johnston acknowledges that technology and machinery that make humans’ lives easier have been brought to us by capitalism, but embraces the Marxist view that those things made humans’ lives worse in some ways because of the social and economic conditions of capitalism itself. Therefore, a socialist or Marxist society could take that technology and put it to good use without the negative effects caused by capitalism. He claims that “post-Reagan/Thatcher capitalism” caused regression in the human condition, creating socio-economic conditions which are “as savage and cruel as that of early industrial England.” He also says that contemporary income inequalities are “greater” than in the past, and that the accumulation of wealth “in the hands of a tiny minority would make even a robber baron blush.” ⁷

Infinite Greed

Johnston’s book Infinite Greed was scheduled to be published in 2024. Using the principles of Marxism and psychoanalysis, the book opposes the notion that selfishness is inherent to capitalism. Johnston characterizes capitalism as the “relentless pursuit of profits,” but argues that this relentless pursuit is not motivated by humans’ true self interest. Instead, he says that individuals often sacrifice their dreams, health, and even their lives to “inhuman capital,” in other words, capitalist pursuits. Johnston claims that capitalism pushes human beings to accumulate wealth above all other considerations, including our own peace of mind and happiness, and the happiness of others. He argues that a truly selfish society would stop accumulating wealth at such a rapid pace because of what he says are the negative impacts of alleged wealth inequality and climate concerns. ⁸

1. “Infinite Greed: The Inhuman Selfishness of Capital.” Columbia University Press. Accessed February 2, 2024. https://cup.columbia.edu/book/infinite-greed/9780231214735
2. “Adrian Johnston”. LinkedIn. Accessed February 1, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrian-johnston-6b663722/
3. Peter Gratton. “On Transcendental Materialism: Adrian Johnston, interviewed by Peter Gratton.” October 7, 2013. Accessed February 2, 2024. https://www.societyandspace.org/articles/on-transcendental-materialism
4. “Continental Philosophy.” Britannica. Accessed February 5, 2024. https://www.britannica.com/topic/continental-philosophy
5. Locke: Epistemology.” Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Accessed February 5th, 2024. https://iep.utm.edu/locke-ep/
6. “Dialectical Materialism.” Britannica. Accessed February 2, 2024. https://www.britannica.com/topic/dialectical-materialism
7. Peter Gratton. “On Transcendental Materialism: Adrian Johnston, interviewed by Peter Gratton.” October 7, 2013. Accessed February 2, 2024. https://www.societyandspace.org/articles/on-transcendental-materialism
8. “Infinite Greed: The Inhuman Selfishness of Capital.” Columbia University Press. Accessed February 2, 2024. https://cup.columbia.edu/book/infinite-greed/9780231214735