Bourgeoisie coolness: notes for a theory on the formation of modern subjectivity

Abstract

Current era maybe called the Era of Indifference, underscoring the generalization and globalization of bourgeoisie coolness in all ways of social life. The coolness metaphor and its correlated term, indifference, are common expressions in contemporary culture and in several diagnoses to characterize moral distortions and to express the malaise caused by society’s moral stance. Gruschka states that bourgeoisie coolness is a crucial moral and philosophical topos in writings ranging from those by Horkheimer to Adorno. The concepts forwarded by these authors may foreground the main items for the development of a Theory of Indifference. Based on the author´s thesis, the theoretical roots of the Frankfurt School philosophers on the themes were analyzed through three stance of Western thought on modern civilization: instrumental reason within Max Weber’s sociological perspective; the rationality of self-conservation derived from Sigmund Freud’s Psychology; and the law of equivalence in Karl Marx’s doctrine. These concepts in Horkheimer and Adorno are structurally associated to the same principle that foregrounds bourgeoisie society. Notes on the theory of bourgeoisie coolness contribute towards the understanding of the escalation of violence in contemporary society on the threshold of extreme barbarity.