In an essay included in this volume, the Italian philosopher Paolo Virno argues that the arts have become a component of what he calls the post-Fordist production process, and have consequently sacrificed what little autonomy from consumerism they may previously have had. Exploring this assertion, the authors gathered in Arts in Society consult high-profile international figures from various artistic disciplines to address the changing landscape in which today's creative activities meet the world. Recent developments in the art world are traced in discussions with, among others, artists Michelangelo Pistoletto and Thierry De Cordier, choreographers Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, Sang Jijia and Willy Tsao, theater director Pippo Delbono and electronica musician Matthew Herbert. Arts in Society makes a provocative and realistic portrait of art's relation with economic, political and ecological realms, constructing a revelatory narrative about power and impotence, cynicism and utopia, nihilism and engagement in the arts.