Politics of (Un)Freedom

A cultural diagnosis, intellectual history, and survival manual, this provocative and urgent book traces some of the major tendencies of Western modernity—including the drive to conquer nature by the use of instrumental reason—and shows how they culminate in today’s “information capitalism,” where data-hungry platforms monetize (engineered) culture wars and people’s desires. Moving from Renaissance humanism and early Protestant metaphysics to contemporary profit-driven imperialisms (in physical and digital spaces), the book unpacks the blind spots of mainstream ideologies, pointing to both their emancipatory and highly oppressive dimensions. All mainstream ideological “alternatives” are exposed as profitable spectacles, keeping the majority of the population in the position of “happy slaves,” who mistake their manufactured desires for freedom—while scrolling, shopping, and staying obedient. The book also sketches an exit route: through a combination of both scholarly and activist approaches, it outlines ways to break the capitalist spell, rebuild communities, and reclaim human freedom and more genuine forms of democracy. 6