WILHELM RÖPKE AND THE SPIRITUALITY OF NEOLIBERALISM
What do we mean by “neoliberalism”? There are many ways to answer this question, but the most frequent response is to associate to neoliberalism with the implementation of measures strictly economic; in fact, it is said that the neoliberals, almost by congenital defect, cannot think the reality beyo...
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| Format: | Online |
| Language: | spa |
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Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios sobre Cultura y Sociedad
2017
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| Online Access: | https://revistas.unc.edu.ar/index.php/astrolabio/article/view/15886 |
| _version_ | 1806009883945861120 |
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| author | Méndez, Pablo Martín |
| author_facet | Méndez, Pablo Martín |
| author_sort | Méndez, Pablo Martín |
| collection | Portal de Revistas |
| description | What do we mean by “neoliberalism”? There are many ways to answer this question, but the most frequent response is to associate to neoliberalism with the implementation of measures strictly economic; in fact, it is said that the neoliberals, almost by congenital defect, cannot think the reality beyond the numbers and the abstract prescriptions. Following the archaeological-genealogical method of Michel Foucault and of some of its contemporary interpreters, this article reviews and widen that critical conception. Our hypothesis is that neoliberalism cannot be reduced to a mere “economicism” because it has a “spiritual” dimension –that is to say, a field of practices and discourses that conforms in response to the excessive rationalism of modern societies. The purpose is to transform men from within, making them more capable to access to a set of values and to assimilate certain forms of behaviour. According to this article, in the writings of Wilhelm Röpke, a German economist and sociologist of the mid-20th century, is perfectly seen the spiritual dimension of neoliberalism. Röpke proposed a “diagnosis” and a “therapeutic”. The diagnosis argues that men have a spiritual disease called “massification” and “proletarianization”, while the therapeutic seeks to make these men entrepreneurs of themselves. This would be the way to overcome the conflicts of capitalism: transforming to massificated and proletarianized man in a subject fully committed with their profession. We do not intend to recover a thought almost forgotten by history, but to explore the limits of our present, especially our forms of subjectivity. Although many of the contemporary criticisms have not seen this, it is necessary to ask how the diagnostics and the therapeutic proposals by neoliberals as Röpke persist in our present. Here we will not give definite answers, but some indications in this regard. |
| format | Online |
| id | oai:ojs.revistas.unc.edu.ar:article-15886 |
| institution | Universidad Nacional de Cordoba |
| language | spa |
| publishDate | 2017 |
| publisher | Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios sobre Cultura y Sociedad |
| record_format | ojs |
| spelling | oai:ojs.revistas.unc.edu.ar:article-158862017-06-30T20:25:12Z WILHELM RÖPKE AND THE SPIRITUALITY OF NEOLIBERALISM WILHELM RÖPKE Y LA ESPIRITUALIDAD DEL NEOLIBERALISMO Méndez, Pablo Martín crítica al neoliberalismo racionalismo masificación y proletarización diagnóstico y terapéutica espíritu de emprendimiento rationalism massification therapeutic entrepreneurship criticism What do we mean by “neoliberalism”? There are many ways to answer this question, but the most frequent response is to associate to neoliberalism with the implementation of measures strictly economic; in fact, it is said that the neoliberals, almost by congenital defect, cannot think the reality beyond the numbers and the abstract prescriptions. Following the archaeological-genealogical method of Michel Foucault and of some of its contemporary interpreters, this article reviews and widen that critical conception. Our hypothesis is that neoliberalism cannot be reduced to a mere “economicism” because it has a “spiritual” dimension –that is to say, a field of practices and discourses that conforms in response to the excessive rationalism of modern societies. The purpose is to transform men from within, making them more capable to access to a set of values and to assimilate certain forms of behaviour. According to this article, in the writings of Wilhelm Röpke, a German economist and sociologist of the mid-20th century, is perfectly seen the spiritual dimension of neoliberalism. Röpke proposed a “diagnosis” and a “therapeutic”. The diagnosis argues that men have a spiritual disease called “massification” and “proletarianization”, while the therapeutic seeks to make these men entrepreneurs of themselves. This would be the way to overcome the conflicts of capitalism: transforming to massificated and proletarianized man in a subject fully committed with their profession. We do not intend to recover a thought almost forgotten by history, but to explore the limits of our present, especially our forms of subjectivity. Although many of the contemporary criticisms have not seen this, it is necessary to ask how the diagnostics and the therapeutic proposals by neoliberals as Röpke persist in our present. Here we will not give definite answers, but some indications in this regard. ¿Qué entendemos hoy por “neoliberalismo”? Si bien hay varias formas de contestar tal pregunta, la respuesta más frecuente consiste en asociarlo con la aplicación de un conjunto de medidas estrictamente económicas; de hecho, se dice que los neoliberales, casi por defecto congénito, no pueden pensar la realidad más allá de los números y las recetas abstractas. Siguiendo el método arqueológico-genealógico de Michel Foucault y de algunos de sus intérpretes contemporáneos, el presente artículo buscará revisar y en lo posible ampliar aquella concepción crítica. Nuestra hipótesis es que el neoliberalismo no se reduce a un mero “economicismo”, sino que contiene más bien toda una dimensión “espiritual”, todo un campo de prácticas y de discursos que se conforma como respuesta ante el excesivo racionalismo de las sociedades modernas. La cuestión consiste en transformar a los hombres desde dentro, hasta el punto de tornarlos más aptos para acceder a un conjunto de valores y asimilar ciertas formas de comportamiento. Según sostiene este artículo, es en los escritos de Wilhelm Röpke, un economista y sociólogo alemán de mediados del siglo XX, donde mejor se aprecia la dimensión espiritual del neoliberalismo. Röpke proponía un “diagnóstico” y una “terapéutica”. El primero sostiene que los hombres padecen una enfermedad espiritual denominada como “masificación” y “proletarización”, mientras que la terapéutica procura hacer de esos hombres unos emprendedores de sí mismos. Tal sería el modo de superar los efectos adversos del capitalismo: transformando a los hombres masificados y proletarizados en sujetos completamente comprometidos con su profesión. No se trata sencillamente de recuperar un pensamiento casi olvidado por la historia, sino de explorar los límites de nuestro presente, especialmente de nuestras formas de subjetividad. Aunque muchas de las críticas contemporáneas no hayan reparado aún en ello, hay que preguntarse hasta qué punto los diagnósticos y las terapéuticas propuestas por neoliberales como Röpke persisten en la actualidad. Aquí no se darán respuestas tajantes y definitivas, pero sí algunos indicios al respecto. Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios sobre Cultura y Sociedad 2017-06-30 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion Artículo revisado por pares application/pdf https://revistas.unc.edu.ar/index.php/astrolabio/article/view/15886 Astrolabio; No. 18 (2017): SOCIALIDAD MEDIATIZADA: SOFTWARE SOCIAL EN PERSPECTIVA LATINOAMERICANA; 112-146 Astrolabio; Núm. 18 (2017): SOCIALIDAD MEDIATIZADA: SOFTWARE SOCIAL EN PERSPECTIVA LATINOAMERICANA; 112-146 Astrolabio; n. 18 (2017): SOCIALIDAD MEDIATIZADA: SOFTWARE SOCIAL EN PERSPECTIVA LATINOAMERICANA; 112-146 1668-7515 10.55441/1668.7515.n18 spa https://revistas.unc.edu.ar/index.php/astrolabio/article/view/15886/17174 |
| spellingShingle | crítica al neoliberalismo racionalismo masificación y proletarización diagnóstico y terapéutica espíritu de emprendimiento rationalism massification therapeutic entrepreneurship criticism Méndez, Pablo Martín WILHELM RÖPKE AND THE SPIRITUALITY OF NEOLIBERALISM |
| title | WILHELM RÖPKE AND THE SPIRITUALITY OF NEOLIBERALISM |
| title_alt | WILHELM RÖPKE Y LA ESPIRITUALIDAD DEL NEOLIBERALISMO |
| title_full | WILHELM RÖPKE AND THE SPIRITUALITY OF NEOLIBERALISM |
| title_fullStr | WILHELM RÖPKE AND THE SPIRITUALITY OF NEOLIBERALISM |
| title_full_unstemmed | WILHELM RÖPKE AND THE SPIRITUALITY OF NEOLIBERALISM |
| title_short | WILHELM RÖPKE AND THE SPIRITUALITY OF NEOLIBERALISM |
| title_sort | wilhelm ropke and the spirituality of neoliberalism |
| topic | crítica al neoliberalismo racionalismo masificación y proletarización diagnóstico y terapéutica espíritu de emprendimiento rationalism massification therapeutic entrepreneurship criticism |
| topic_facet | crítica al neoliberalismo racionalismo masificación y proletarización diagnóstico y terapéutica espíritu de emprendimiento rationalism massification therapeutic entrepreneurship criticism |
| url | https://revistas.unc.edu.ar/index.php/astrolabio/article/view/15886 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mendezpablomartin wilhelmropkeandthespiritualityofneoliberalism AT mendezpablomartin wilhelmropkeylaespiritualidaddelneoliberalismo |