Abstract
A common critique of contemporary capitalism is that it incites to consumption: more food, more drink, more luxury goods; the very success of capitalism as an economic and social system is predicated on this consumerism. According to cultural critics like Daniel Bell and Philipp Rieff, capitalism thus represents the death of an ancient and honorable form of ethical life known as ‘asceticism.’ It is no longer possible to live a life of self-deprivation oriented towards super-material, spiritual, ‘higher’ purposes, whether personal or political. With the advent of neoliberalism, however, and the emergence of new markets in self-improvement, this traditional assessment needs to be complicated. Neoliberal capitalism requires a form of consumption that is at the same time an asceticism, in the proper sense of the term: repeated practices of the self that transform the practicing self. Yoga, mindfulness, fitness, and even the classically ascetic practice of fasting have become so many products to purchase and ‘consume.’ This is a form of consumption that is directly ascetic and a form of asceticism that passes via the consumption of product-practices. Indeed, one can even speak of an ‘ascetic imperative’ today in so far as the maximization of human capital requires a constant work on the self in order to remain competitive in the market economy. In a word: producers consume practices that maximize their productive capacities in turn. A full understanding of the role of spirituality and asceticism in contemporary society requires moving from an asceticism/consumerism dichotomy to a subtler dialectical approach.
Presenters
William TilleczekVisiting Professor, Humanities and Social Sciences, Deep Springs College, California, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2023 Special Focus—Religion in the Public Sphere: From the Ancient Years to the Post-Modern Era
KEYWORDS
Ancient and Modern Asceticism, Consumerism, Capitalism, Neoliberalism, Self-Improvement
