Social Pathologies: A Concept for Criticism

Since Plato’s times, the polis has been conceived of as a body that can become sick. In modern thought, this organicist conception has been revised, although some elements have been conserved in the thinking of such authors as Rousseau, Spencer, Durkheim, Marx, and Hegel. The question we could ask ourselves today is whether it is worth recovering some of their approaches and if it is possible to construct a convincing criticism of present-day societies on the basis of the notion of social pathology. Could we say, for example, the capitalist societies are “sick”?

Responding to these questions is the project of Frederick Neuhouser, Professor of Philosophy at Columbia University, a specialist in Hegel and Rousseau, and a close student of the critical theory of the Frankfurt School. This seminar offers an occasion to discuss with Neuhouser the ideas of his recent book Diagnosing Social Pathology: Rousseau, Hegel, Marx, and Durkheim (Columbia University Press, 2022). José María Sánchez de León, Tatiana Llaguno, and Just Serrano will take part in the discussion, and the floor will be open for contributions from all participants.

The seminar is organised by the Barcelona Network for Critical Thought (BCNCT), the sections of Political and Moral Philosophy and Modern Philosophy of the Department of Philosophy of the University of Barcelona, and the CCCB.

On March 6 professor Neuhouser will give the lecture Economic Inequality: A Contemporary Pathology.