Abstract

This article outlines Mario Perniola’s brilliant account of contemporary western societies in terms of their sensological and mass communicative dimensions. It is claimed that contemporary sensological-mass communicative society is characterized by the demise of symbolic efficiency. Furthermore, it is shown that Perniola’s concept of Catholic feeling does not only entertain certain affinities to the concept of interpassivity introduced by Slavoj Žižek and elaborated by Robert Pfaller, but that it also contains moments relevant for the possible reinstitution of the symbolic order.