Ra h-Bosca, Albe Camil
A icle
THE SPIRITUAL CONNECTION BETWEEN THE
CARTOGRAPHY OF THE HUMAN SUBCONSCIOUS AND THE
STRUCTURES OF NEOLIBERAL THEOLOGY
Ago a In e na ional Jou nal o Economical Sciences (AIJES)
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Sugges ed Ci a ion: Ra h-Bosca, Albe Camil (2024) : THE SPIRITUAL CONNECTION BETWEEN THE
CARTOGRAPHY OF THE HUMAN SUBCONSCIOUS AND THE STRUCTURES OF NEOLIBERAL THEOLOGY,
Ago a In e na ional Jou nal o Economical Sciences (AIJES), ISSN 2067-7669, Ago a Uni e si y P ess,
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Vol. 18, No. 1 (2024), pp. 290-301
290
THE SPIRITUAL CONNECTION BETWEEN THE CARTOGRAPHY
OF THE HUMAN SUBCONSCIOUS AND THE STRUCTURES OF
NEOLIBERAL THEOLOGY
A.C. RATH-BOȘCA
Albe Camil Ra h-Boșca
Facul y o Economic Sciences, Ago a Uni e si y o O adea, Romania
h ps://o cid.o g/0009-0004-6815-9509, E-mail:[email protected]
Abs ac : Usually, an economis , a manage , a business adminis a o , o any o he
pa icipa ing membe o he ee ma ke has a single and clea iew o he pecunia y alue o
goods and he na u e o capi al. The logic o capi alism allows he economic agen o assign
clea alues o goods based on se e al ac o s. Al hough such a s ic iew o a good and i s
na u e is mechanically co ec , i is an incomple e one. Economis s and economic heo is s
mo e b oadly ag ee ha comme cial goods, whe he hey a e di ec ed o he consume o
in e media e goods in he p oduc ion chain, a e he esul o human labou .
Keywo ds: neolibe alism, capi alism, economic, heo ies.
INTRODUCTION
The economic s uc u es o he 20 h cen u y, which a e s ill used in ou age, a e
conce ned a he wi h economic on ology and eleology. The economis 's conce n is no man,
bu he s uc u e o med by men o acili a e comme ce be ween indi iduals, legal en i ies, o
s a es. The 21s cen u y has b ough wi h i phenomenal echnological p og ess, bu a he same
ime i has b ough new p oblems ha he economic sys ems concei ed and adop ed in he pas
could no o esee and, as such, ha e no sa is ac o y solu ions o he new human challenges.
Unde he neolibe al empi e, man becomes a p oduc and all his ac i i ies become
ac i i ies o a p oduc i e na u e. E e y ime an o dina y ci izen opens hei phone and uses an
app, ega dless o he app, hey p o ide da a abou hei beha iou al pa e ns o ee. These
da a a e pe haps, in ou e a, wha he mos aluable esou ces o all businesses, be hey local
o mul ina ional.
Gi en he ac ha pos -mode n human no longe has no momen o simply be human,
bu hey a e cons an ly a p oduce o an in e mi en good wi h he aim o b inging new lows
o capi al in o he " ee ma ke ", we mus ask wha is he e ec o such a new s a us as homo
p oduci u on he human psyche.
II. Neolibe alism, he mons ous o sp ing o Wes e n hough .
Neolibe alism is a a e e m in he pe pe ual e o machine we call mains eam media,
ye e e y human being has an in ima e phenomenological unde s anding o neolibe alism. We
see ei he he e ec s o he o sp ing o neolibe alism in ou daily li es. We see p oduc s,
se ices, jobs, phenomena ha canno be obse ed in a So ie o Keynesian economy.The bi h
o neolibe alism, o e en a clea de ini ion o he e m, is a di icul ask o any esea che .
Albe Camil RATH-BOȘCA
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Philosophically, we can iden i y neolibe al ideology om he w i ings o Ame ican
economis F ank Hyneman Knigh and Aus ian economis F ied ich Augus Hayek. Fo hese
wo economis s, and o o he neolibe al economis s, he s a e mus no in e ene in any way
in he ee ma ke . They a e agains communism and Keynesian models om e e y poin o
iew, and e en mo e, hey belie e ha such economic models a e he causes o he g ea
inancial c ises.
Fo Hayek, he inancial ecession o he 1980s was caused by Keynesian economic
models adop ed in he in e wa and immedia e pos -wa pe iod. Acco ding o his book,
Unemploymen and mone a y policy, he c i icizes he Keynesian model o he in la ion i
causes and i s e ec s.
Th ough Keynesian policies such as social assis ance o he public heal h sys em, he
s a e is o ced o p oduce mo e cu ency h ough na ional banks. O cou se, h ough an in lux
o o eign cu ency in o he economy, i will lose i s alue. Thus, in la ion appea s which
appea s o be excessi e o neolibe al economis s.
Hayek's p oposed solu ion is empo a y su e ing ollowed by a e u n o no malcy
(Hayek, p.13). I he cu ency s ays a he same alue du ing a ecession, ine i ably, some jobs
will be los , and a ha d ime will ine i ably ollow o he p ole a ia .
Hayek is no unawa e o how o dina y ci izens will pe cei e such an i-in la ion
measu es. Howe e , a poli ician mus emain s ead as and impose unpopula measu es o sa e
he economy in he long un (Hayek, p.9).
I is impossible o an indus ial o se ice-based economy o li e wi h huge in la ion
like Sou h Ame ican coun ies. This in la ion esul s in "labou ickling". By icking labou ,
Hayek e e s o he change in he dis ibu ion o money and esou ces in pe iods o inc eased
in la ion and he a ac i eness o ce ain jobs in pe iods o high in la ion (Hayek, p.12), ha
is, ce ain games o pe cep ion ha Sou h Ame ican go e nmen s used o main ain an illuso y
economic balance.
I he i s signs o ecession a e obse ed and coun e ed, a dep ession o he economy,
o an economic c isis, can be a oided. Again, Hayek conside s necessa y an economic
es uc u ing ha aims o s abilize he na ional cu ency by lowe ing wages, by luc ua ing o
elas ic p ices and a empo a y su e ing o he labou o ce.
Hayek condemns iscal and poli ical au ho i ies o no unde s anding how he "game
o economy" is played. Fo him, he e u n o he gold s anda d is a necessi y ha could once
again s abilize he wo ld economy (Hayek, p.19).
The second economis , whose wo k I conside essen ial o unde s anding neolibe alism,
is F ank Hyneman Knigh . The analysis o his essay Fallacies in The In e p e a ion o Social
Cos is impo an . In his essay Knigh c i icizes he pe spec i e o he B i ish economis s Pigou
and G aham.
Pigou and G aham p oposes he ollowing hesis: i we gi e indus y unlimi ed eedom
hen i will in es p ecious esou ces in goods o p oduc s whose needs canno be economically
me in he long un.
Example Pigou’s, ha o public and p i a e oads, is explained in he a icle (Knigh ,
p.219). I he e a e wo oads, one p i a e bu much oo na ow o which a sum mus be paid
di ec ly o he owne , and one ee, wide bu poo ly main ained, he e ec will be ha a some
poin bo h oads will be used.
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This phenomenon happens because o he way hese wo oads a e o ganized. On he
one hand, he p i a e oad is mo e e icien because i is be e main ained, bu being oo na ow
i leads o delays in he anspo o goods. The public oad, al hough mo e dange ous o
business because o i s poo condi ion, will become equally a ac i e o he anspo o goods.
Wi h his example Pigou wan s o demons a e he endency o p i a e indus y o p oduce
goods o p o ide se ices ha end o lead o inancial losses.
Pigou belie es ha such in as uc u e p ojec s a e mo e e ec i e when he s a e akes
cha ge o hem and main ains hem wi h ax money. I a p i a e business we e o manage such
p ojec s, i would no be able o p o ide as good a se ice because i would ha e o cons an ly
aim o he maximum p o i om he minimum in es men .
Knigh dispu es his concep ion (Knigh , p.224). In his iew, i all he oads we e
p i a e, hese p i a e companies would be obliged by hei inancial in e es o p o ide good
se ices. I all he oads a e owned by p i a e indus y, each oad use will pay an amoun o
he use o he oads di ec ly o he oad owne . Because o compe i ion, p ices mus emain
compe i i e bu allow o oad main enance and owne p o i (Knigh , p.229).
Ano he ac o in oked by Knigh is he isk assumed by he in es o . He also c i icizes
he " ague language" used by he economis s Pigou and G aham. The la e do no compa e
di e en solu ions o he p oblem o a ic and oad use. Ra he , hey a e specula ing in he
absence o a compa able example. The e we e no eeways o p i a e oads a he ime,
meaning Pigou had no sample o his analysis, he could only guess.
Bo h Knigh and Hayek died bu , i onically, hei d eams ha e been ully ealized in
Ame ica and he s a es ha ha e been "democ a ized" by i .
These wo economis s oge he wi h o he neolibe al economis s such as Mil on
F iedman, Thomas Saul o James Buchanan had a majo in luence on poli icians such as
Tha che , Nixon, Bill Clin on o Reagan. In he wo ds o a - igh jou nalis And ew B igh ba
"poli ics is ups eam o cul u e". I poli ics has become neolibe al, cul u e will ine i ably be
sculp ed in he neolibe al spi i .
Thanks o hese poli icians and he b u al and somewha illogical libe aliza ion o he
economic ma ke , we li e in neolibe al cul u e in i s en i e y. Acco ding o he iew o he
G eek economis Yannis Va ou akis, " he ghos o Ma ga e Tha che haun s he Eu opean
economy" (h ps://www.you ube.com/wa ch? =w6H6 VuGgo&ab_channel=Poli icsJOE).
All neolibe al economis s a e agains cen alized economies, s a e in e en ion and
public se ices, and as such c i icize in a ha sh bu some imes ai manne such economic
s uc u es. Howe e , I belie e ha hese economis s s a ed om wo alse p emises in hei
an i-Communis and an i-Keynesian c usade.
The i s e oneous p emise asce ained hese economis s is he human ac o .
Economis s such as Ma x, Mayna d Keynes, Pigou, Rica do, e en he a he o economic
analysis, Adam Smi h, ocus on he wel a e and su i al o socie y. Man is he cen e o
economics, no he ee ma ke , no he game o economics, bu man. Fo neolibe als, man is a
esou ce and mus be ea ed as such.
The second e oneous p emise is he goodness and wisdom o he g ea capi alis s. This
p emise is explo ed by Edwa d Be nays in his book P opaganda. Th oughou he book, Be nays
epea s his man a coun less imes. Rich people o m a kind o pa allel go e nmen , bu his is
Albe Camil RATH-BOȘCA
293
eally good om a mo al poin o iew. Be nays conside s he common people o be a oo
pe y and indecisi e o make decisions wi hou being guided by someone, ei he di ec ly o
indi ec ly.
Bo h p emises a e obse ed in he in e nal poli ics o he Uni ed S a es. Domes ically,
Ame ica has adop ed a ious policies ha allow he ee ma ke o unc ion wi hou es ic ions,
such as he passage o he Tax Se ices Mode niza ion Ac in 1999 by he Uni ed S a es
Pa liamen and hen-P esiden Bill Clin on.
The 1999 Ac epealed he Glass-S eagall Ac . Unde he old legisla ion, he banks ha
o e ed in es men s could no also o e comme cial p oduc s such as loans o he pu chase o
a p ope y and ice e sa (h ps://www. ede al ese ehis o y.o g/essays/glass-s eagall-ac ). In
1999 his limi a ion was emo ed.
Al hough his decision led o a pe iod o economic boom, i was also he main cause o
he inancial c isis in he yea 2008. Because o his new eedom, he banking sys em used all
a ailable esou ces o in es men s ha led o an imbalance in he eal es a e ma ke .
II. Ca og aphy o he subconscious (Sigmund F eud, Ka l Ma x).
This pa adigm, "mapping he subconscious" is a ague one. To his day we canno
decla e he human mind o be 'unde s ood' o 'disce ned'. Many aspec s o he human mind
emain undisco e ed o unexplained. This ealm, which exis s bu is inaccessible o man in a
conscious manne , is called he subconscious.
The a he o mode n psychology and psychia y, Sigmund F eud, himsel iden i ied
se e al o ms o he men al economy. In his 1900 book, he in e p e a ion o d eams, F eud
p esen s he opog aphical model o he mind and men ions he exis ence o an economic
s uc u e o he mind.
In he a o emen ioned book, F eud di ides he human mind in o 3 egions,
subconscious, p e-conscious and conscious. Th ough he subconscious s uc u e (F eud,
p.613), F eud p esen s a pa o he mind whe e he e a e ce ain desi es and d i es conside ed
a ypical bu which canno be ully unde s ood.
This egion o he mind i ep esen s one o he wo main objec s o ou s udy, namely,
he subconscious. This o ce which conceals he o ali y o he ini ial in ensi ies leading o
conscious ac ions is s ill unknown o man.
F eud ac ually ies o p opose he ollowing ou e o he subconscious space. The
conscious is only he senso y appa a us ha pe cei es he ex e nal s imulus and in luences he
ma e ial wo ld, p e- he conscious is he censo ship ba ie (F eud, p.616) ha di e en ia es
he impulses ha ha e an e ec on he subconscious opog aphy.
The subconscious is whe e he sel is bo n. This possibili y is obse ed in a is s who
a he p esen he a is ic p ocess as an unconscious o subconscious p ocess (F eud, p.613).
Thus, he subconscious inally acqui es a angible o m.
A i s economic s uc u e p esen ed by F eud is ha o ma e and d eam. Acco ding
o F eud's ideas, ma e is o d eams he equi alen o an in es o o an en ep eneu (F eud,
p.561). Fo an en ep eneu o be able o s a a business, he will need one o mo e in es o s.
In some cases, he en ep eneu is also he sole in es o . In o he si ua ions, one in es o will
sponso se e al u u e en ep eneu s o se e al in es o s will con ibu e o a single business.
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F eud obse ed a connec ion be ween he ma e ial condi ions o he psychoanaly ic
subjec and d eams o i , he subconscious p ocesses ha we canno unde s and conc e ely. The
hi d elemen in oduced by F eud is quan i y. Quan i y o F eud is ac ually he le el o
in ensi y o expe ience and how he subconscious p ocesses his quan i y.
I he physical expe ience is s ong enough, i will become he cen al poin o a d eam,
a se ies o d eams, o , because o insu icien in ensi y o an expe ience, i will become a
seconda y poin o he d eam. So, we see a di ec connec ion be ween ou desi es, ideas, d eams
and he ma e ial wo ld. These elemen s o he ma e ial wo ld ha we pe cei e h ough ou
senses, h ough consciousness hus become pa s o he subconscious elie .
F eud desc ibes his in es men o libidinal ene gy by he e ms ca echesis and an i-
ca echesis. The in luence o he ma e ial wo ld mani es s i sel be ween hese wo ac ions o
in es ing in e es in ce ain objec s, people o concep s o no .
Ano he economic o m o he mind concei ed by F eud is ha o exci a ions. In his
1920 book, Beyond he Pleasu e P inciple, F eud p oposes an economic o m whose capi al is
i aci y. Th ough Thana os, he d i e o des oy o sel -des uc ion o he psychoanaly ic
subjec , he e is an inc ease in he le el o li eliness, while E os, he pleasu e d i e o he
psychoanaly ic subjec , dec eases he le el o li eliness (F eud, 1920, p.3).
Th ough his simpli ied economic o m, F eud sugges s a desi e o all li ing hings o
e u n o hei ino ganic o m (F eud 1920, p.21). This economy o ecs asy, in a subconscious
way, leads us o ce ain pain ul s a s o o he epe i ion o some aumas h ough ac ions o a
symbolic na u e. We epea hese ac ions in o de o acqui e an ac i e ole in he auma ic
scena io, because in his way we acqui e a le el o con ol (F eud 1920, p.29).
These wo economic o ms o he human psyche a e ac o s ha shape he subconscious.
As such, he elie o he eal bu in isible sel is modi ied by he economy o i aci y and by
he economy o consciousness-p ocessed expe iences. While he d eam-ma e economy is
di ec , ha o i idness is an in e nal one based on he subjec 's expe ience. These wo
economic o ms o he human psyche a e compa able o in e na ional ade and na ional ade
espec i ely.
Howe e , F eud was no he i s hinke o obse e and hypo hesize he connec ion
be ween men al and ma e ial space.
Ano he hinke who in ui ed and analysed he mind-ma e ela ionship is Ka l Ma x.
Al hough Ka l Ma x's ideas we e demonized due o he ailu e o he So ie Union, his c i ique
o he capi alis sys em emains no only he mos cohe en , bu also he mos comp ehensi e
o his day.
Fo Ma x, capi alis socie y is de ined by he possession o goods, mo e p ecisely, by
he accumula ion o a "heap o goods" (Ma x, p.27). This desc ip ion is co ec , he main
cha ac e is ic o a capi alis , consume socie y is he accumula ion o many goods, his
becoming an incipien o m o heology. These goods a e no simply possessions. These ha e
a ious me aphysical, mo al, social and aes he ic implica ions (Ma x, p.27).
The h ee aspec s o a psychoanaly ic na u e p esen ed by Ma x ha a e ele an o ou
discussion a e he ma e ialis dialec ic, aliena ion, and e ishiza ion o possessions.
Ma e ialis dialec ic is a modi ied o m o Hegelian dialec ic. Ini ially, he p elimina y
wo k was done by Ludwig Feue bach (h ps://www.ma xis s.o g/ omana/dic iona / /
Albe Camil RATH-BOȘCA
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Feue bach_Ludwig.h m). F om Feue bach's pe spec i e, man becomes he cen e o
philosophy again, no he spi i ha s udies i sel h ough ma e ial o ms.
Ma x modi ied he concep o ma e ialis dialec ics. Human consciousness is o med by
i s in e ac ion wi h ma e and o he human consciousnesses. I speci ied a i s cha ac e is ic o
he subconscious, namely, ha i is he eal sel bu hidden and o med by he ma e ial wo ld.
Fo Ma x and Engels, he dialec ic does no s a om he op down bu om "ea h o hea en"
(John Rees, p.60). The e is no subconscious/conscious sepa a ion in his wo k, bu he e a e
"spi i ual" e ec s o he ma e ial wo ld.
Ma x s a s om he "species-being" dialec ic (Ka l Ma x, pp.127-128). Th ough his
dialec ic, each species ce ain inhe en cha ac e is ics can be a ibu ed o i . Fo man, he
inhe en cha ac e is ic is wo k. The human species wo ks beyond i s basic needs. We wan
ce ain kinds o clo hes, ce ain ools used o wo k, ce ain new goods ha do no sa is y basic
needs bu acqui e social alue h ough hei possession and use.
Aliena ion is a phenomenon ha begins wi h he bi h o ade in he ancien wo ld.
F om he momen wo goods ha e a pecunia y alue, as such, hey can be exchanged h ough
cu ency o ba e , he e is a sepa a ion be ween he wo k done o ob ain a good and he pe son
who wo ked o c ea e his good (Ka l Ma x, p.51-53).
The aliena ion o goods is a necessa y p ocess o mode n ci iliza ion. Con empo a y
socie ies can only exis on he basis o complex and well-o ganized ne wo ks o ade and
anspo . Howe e , Ma x iews labou powe as a good in i sel ha he wo ke exchanges o
money (Ka l Ma x, p.402). Th ough his p ocess o exchange be ween he labou powe o he
p ole a ian and he capi alis , man eels useless. Wo k being he essen ial cha ac e is ic o man,
he canno bu eel dep i ed o "spi i " (Hegel, p. 256-257)
The ui o labou , he goods c ea ed by he wo ke , become sepa a ed by he au ho .
In some cases, an o dina y wo ke would no be able o a o d he p oduc s ha come ou o
he ac o y whe e he wo ks. This dis ance be ween people and he ui o hei wo k, he
p oduc o human na u e, is hea -b eaking.
The hi d psychological aspec de i ed om Ma x's w i ings is he e ishiza ion o
goods. The e ishiza ion o goods is a he a pa hology o ea ly economis s, such as Rica do o
Smi h (Ka l Ma x, pp.51-53), who conside ed ha goods ha e an in insic alue (Adam Smi h,
p.51).
Fo Ma x, goods ha e a s ic ly social unc ion and alue. Th ough he e olu ion o
ade, goods also acqui e a social alue beyond ha ob ained h ough he wo k done o ob ain
i o h ough he a i y o he aw ma e ial (Ka l Ma x, p.223).
Fo example, a b anded shi will be wo h much mo e han a gene ic one bough a a
h i s o e. Wi h his pu chase, he man is no buying a shi , bu he gua an ee o quali y and
he social alue o his company. This is he mani es a ion o commodi y e ishism om he
consume 's pe spec i e. Th ough hese acquisi ions, he p ole a ian wan s o copy he capi alis
and his e oneous consciousness (Ka l Ma x, p.217).
Fo Ma x, consciousness is man himsel exp essing himsel h ough ma e ial ac ions,
he does no in any way de elop a di e en ia ion be ween subconscious and conscious
p ocesses. Howe e , Ma x no iced be o e F eud he clea connec ion be ween he ma e ial
wo ld and he inne wo ld in which man li es as a subjec di ided be ween he subconscious
and he conscious.
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The di e ence be ween F eud and Ma x is o cou se he poli ical elemen . Because o
he sepa a ion o he p ole a ia om he means o p oduc ion and because o he inancial
su plus p oduced by labou , i becomes aliena ed and obsessed wi h imp o ing i s inancial and
social condi ion.
By supe imposing he poli ical and psychoanaly ic concep ions o Ma x on he F eudian
subconscious s uc u e we a i e a a new elie o he subconscious. The sel is bo n in he
subconscious. This sel is o med h ough consciousness by ex e nal s imuli. These ex e nal
ac o s a e ei he ma e ial in na u e o he exp ession o consciousness h ough he ac ions o
o he people. Th ough o he consciousnesses, he ma e ial wo ld and he goods ha make up
his wo ld a e modi ied o acili a e human li e o o gene a e a p o i .
The p og ess o ma e ial s anda ds comes wi h new psychological p oblems such as he
aliena ion o e ishiza ion o goods. These p oblems a e e lec ed no only in poli ical o
economic s uc u es, bu also in he o ma ion o he sel and in he economic equa ions ha
ake place in he human subconscious, whe he we a e alking abou he economy o d eams o
he economy o ecs asy.
We can he e o e call he subconscious as he eal bu hidden sel , a se ies o exchanges
be ween impulses balanced by e os and Thana os buil by he ma e ial condi ions o he
psychoanaly ic subjec . Man is hidden om himsel , bu he can disce n his eal pe son by
analysing his ma e ial condi ions and how hey ha e buil him.
III. Neolibe al heology, be ween Buddhis my hology and Ca holic opp ession.
Now ha we ha e clea concep s abou wha neolibe alism ac ually is and we ha e an
ob ious model abou he human subconscious, we ha e one las s ep le o sol e he p oblem
p oposed in he i le, namely, how an economic and poli ical ca ego y becomes a eligious one.
E e yone knows Nie zsche's amous ph ase "God is dead and we a e he doe s", bu we
wonde how many eally unde s and wha he is ying o say. By he dea h o God, we eally
mean he disconnec ion o man om he eligious s uc u es ha ha e held him in check and
y annically con olled him and o ced him o li e unde he empi e o sla e mo ali y. Nie zsche
ac ually o e s an op imis ic p oposi ion, namely ha in he absence o an all-powe ul God,
man is ee o decide wha he wan s o do.
Howe e , he essence o eligion and emains s eeped in he symbolic o de o all
pe sons, om he eligiously de ou o he con inced a heis . Mi cea Eliade cap u es his
dimension o eali y in his book The Sac ed and he P o ane.
All eligions a e, in o a la ge ex en , iden ical in o ma ion, unc ions, hie a chies,
condi ions o membe ship and he goals p oposed o ollowe s.
Any eligion, Eliade says, begins wi h a my h ha is a sac ed eali y (Eliade, pp.95-
100). E en a ming is, in ac , a sac ed ac i i y in eligious communi ies. The o ali y o he
ac ions, whe he unde aken by he Eskimos, by he Dacians o by he Yo uba ibes, a e
imi a ions o eligious i uals and my hs. These my hs a e sac ed pe iods ha open he
oppo uni y o he common, p imi i e and simple man o imi a e he genesis p o ided by he
he oes and gods o his eligion.
This s uc u e, howe e , in he absence o a uni e salized di ini y in small ibes o
ela i ely homogeneous ci iliza ions, emains p esen in he subconscious o humani y. In he
Albe Camil RATH-BOȘCA
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absence o God, man chose o c ea e a new golden cal (Exodus 32:1-4, Al-A' a , 148) o
con ol he o de he was accus omed o since he bi h o he i s bipedal p ima es.
Neolibe alism has become a cul u al o ce h ough he de elopmen o s a e policies
and by encou aging he ma ke o c ea e goods ha may be pleasan o luxu ious bu a e
undamen ally useless o human li e. We can li e wi hou 120 cm TVs. bu we canno li e
wi hou wa e and ood.
O cou se, he usual pa e ns eme ge when we obse e neolibe alism as an
an h opologis would obse e an ea ly eligion. The elemen s o be analysed, he oles ha he
pa icipan s o his new eligion a e he ollowing: he sup eme dei y, messianic igu es, sain s,
p ies s, non-p ac icing membe s, sinne s and he e ics.
The sup eme dei y o neolibe alism is he capi al. The o ali y o he de ou membe s
o he chu ch wo ships p o i , e iciency, and gene ally, he illusion o excess o weal h.
Messianic igu es a e oday's ich people. Anyone who owns huge amoun s o capi al
is held up as an example o he populace, as a my hological he o. The o ali y o hese igu es
has a messianic image bu no a Ch is ian one, a he , hese hooligans ake he example o
P ince Siddha ha, he ounde o he Buddhis eligion.
The p ince Siddha ha is he i s pe son o a ain enligh enmen acco ding o Buddhis
my hology. He became di ine by inding he 8 di ine pa hs. In he same way, he g ea
capi alis s ha e s o ies o he ha dships hey expe ienced be o e hey disco e ed weal h o he
noble pa h o Ni ana.
Bo h Elon Musk and T ump a e pe ec examples o his cha ade. In bo h cases hey
p esen hei li e be o e iches as ha d and poo . In eali y, T ump s a ed his businesses wi h a
"small loan o a million dolla s" (h ps://www.cnbc.com/2018/10/02/ umps-small-loan- om-
his- a he -was-mo e-like-60poin 7-million-ny .h ml) om his a he . Elon Musk is he son o
E ol Musk (h ps://www.business oday.in/ echnology/news/s o y/amid-elon-musks-cons an -
denial-his- a he -de ails-4-day- isi - o-eme ald-mine-wi h-billionai e-son- 380484-2023-05-
08), a man who owned an eme ald mine in Sou h A ica, gi ing him he money and oppo uni y
o de elop wha e e business he wan ed.
We see a ce ain le el o cogni i e dissonance in he case o neolibe al messianic
igu es. They wan o be pe cei ed as P ince Siddha ha who a ained di ini y h ough he noble
pa hs bu a he , hey esemble he demigods o G eek my hology. Bo n in he igh
conjunc u es o each his g ea ness.
O cou se, in his s uc u e he e a e people who ha e ex ao dina y alen and ha e
managed o each his „ma e ialis ic enligh enmen " h ough hei own e o s and powe s, bu
hey bene i ed mos o he ime om he oppo une momen and he necessa y condi ions o
his becoming.
The neolibe al sain s hey a e o cou se he i s capi alis s o he 19 h and 20 h
cen u ies. People like Fo d, Rocke elle , Vande bil , Ca negie, e c. a e conside ed models o
hese new messianic igu es. Again, he same cogni i e dissonance exis ed a he bi h o
capi alism. Mos o hese indus ial magna es we e he igh people in he igh place and
commi ed illegali ies o mo ally deplo able deeds in o de o main ain hei messianic s a us
o hei imes.
A good example o his alsehood p esen since he bi h o capi alism is John D.
Rocke elle . He is he ounde o he Ame ican company hen called S anda d Oil. Th ough
