Is modern capitalism literally suffocating the human spirit through digital acceleration and standardized language?
In short: Italian philosopher Franco Berardi argues that our obsession with info-neural acceleration and digital efficiency is causing a collective psychological collapse. By replacing sensuous human communication with standardized computer logic, we are experiencing a state of breathlessness. He suggests that poetry and chaos are the only ways to reclaim our rhythm.
Franco Berardi, an Italian Marxist philosopher and activist, posits that the contemporary economic system functions as a form of 'semiocapitalism.' In this framework, the proliferation of symbols and semiotics within the cybersphere—driven by the relentless pursuit of profit—induces a profound depression in the human psyche. Unlike traditional Marxist critiques that focus on material accumulation, Berardi argues that the primary issue is the hollowing out of language. Automation and standardized digital interfaces, such as social media 'like' buttons, strip communication of its subjective, sensuous depth, leaving individuals unable to conceptualize alternatives to the current order.
Berardi utilizes the metaphor of respiration to describe the modern condition, drawing on his own experience with asthma and the death of Eric Garner. He suggests that humanity is 'out of sync' with the rapid pace of technology, resulting in a systemic 'breathlessness.' This state is exacerbated by the fragmentation of labor, which atomizes society and prevents solidarity. He contends that economics is not a science but a political ideology masquerading as objective truth, and he rejects the mathematical language used to justify neoliberal policies as an undesirable political program.
To counter this 'spasm' of the social organism, Berardi proposes a return to poetry and chaos. By invoking the work of Félix Guattari, he suggests that we must move away from the stiffening, standardized rhythms imposed by capitalist infrastructure. Instead, he advocates for a 'resingularization'—a process where human subjects create new, harmonic orders through creative, non-standardized expression. This approach aims to redirect the 'general intellect' of society away from market logic and toward a new, more sustainable rhythm of life that prioritizes human connection over the demands of the digital economy.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Franco Berardi
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