The destruction of the social bond and hyperactivity in the discourse of the capitalist

Abstract

Capitalism – in its classical meaning – is not only a product of rational economic efficiency but today also seems to paradigmatically guarantee the liberal freedom of the modern era. For the first time, the capitalist subject is able to satisfy its needs and pursue what it wants without being limited by external pressures and prohibitions of religious or moral systems. This article investigates the idea of freedom based on the psychoanalytical Discourse of the Capitalist by Jacques Lacan. It unmasks capitalism as a totalitarian ideology that supplants a communal God at the centre with the imperative of enjoyment. It analysis the cunning mechanisms of the circulation of goods, which not only creates new pathologies through the concept of ever-accelerating accumulation and consumption, but fundamentally transforms the relationship between human beings and their environment. In contrast, the discourse of love maintains negative moments of absence and interruption on the path to realising freedom.