Overview

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More stoic than Nietzsche

Still depressing but we must look modern realities in the face and work hard in it to arrest the market-driven beaurocratic modern life.

Key diagnosis

The problem of rationalisation

He wants to reconstruct the general features of modern society by reflecting on the general features on concrete practices of an empirical reality.

N order to understand modenr society, we have to look at what people concretely do. Generalise from that. Rather than viewing society as if a spirit were expressing itself through actions. More inductive approach.

Depersonalisation of relationships

Contractual anonymity not deep personal ties

Marriage also described in general/depersonal terms: CONTRACT

E.g. buyer and seller; teacher and student

Life chances are determined by function and achievement

Specialisation of tasks

Discipline

Predictablity and control

Techniques of calculation

Rationalisation of all realms of culture: DISENCHANTMENT

E.g. great chain of being

Extension of rational control over natural and social processes

Now death seems like a terrible accident rather than "it was meant to be, /I have completed my time on earth"

Puritanism- rastionlisation of Christianity

Ethical autonomy- you think for yourself and determine your own 'truth', individual relationship with God

Bypass the institution

I am master of myself on one hand, with good deeds

On other hand, we are cogs in a wheel and subservient to the will of God

Up to 1:20 on echo