On the Undermining of Democratic Practices

Thinking the Homo Oeconomicus of Neoliberalism from Wendy Brown’s Critical Theory

Abstract

Wendy Brown alerts us of the advance of homo oeconomicus over homo politicus. The daily practices of individuals are governed and shaped by practices that once belonged to the market. The progress of the neoliberal way of life is beginning to conquer the most recondite scenarios of private life. The American philosopher affirms that governance is a form of dissolution of liberal democracies. Governance disseminates an epistemology, an ontology and a set of depoliticizing practices. For its part, neoliberal reason makes use of techniques that are applied for the immediate purpose of solving problems that prevent the optimal functioning of the neoliberal market while volatility dominates human life. The aim of this paper is to analyze Wendy Brown’s theoretical proposal in the described scenario.