Questions the alleged political and aesthetic benefits of interactivity and participation. Theorises the idea of the ritual, which proves useful for understanding many religions' hostilities against their own rituals. Helps you to understand the pleasure principle in culture.

Why do people record TV programmes instead of watching them? Why are some recovering alcoholics pleased to let other people drink in their place? Why can ritual machines pray in place of believers? Robert Pfaller advances a general theory of interpassivity as the wish for delegated consumption and enjoyment in both art and in everyday life, tackling a vast range of phenomena: culture, art, sports and religion.