Does capitalism generate existential anxiety?
Yes, in a way, capitalism needs anxiety. The anxiety that the supply of goods might be insufficient incites consumption. The anxiety of loosing, or not being successful, enhances competition. Anxiety is functional to the logic of the capitalist system: it acts as an “incentive” for economic agents. It is quite a classic position; there are many social psychology and sociology studies that deal with the issue of the anxiety generated by the system. Nevertheless, I consider the inverse causality equally important: capitalism is generated by anxiety. We carry a fundamental anxiety which has historically generated capitalism. Recognizing it makes criticizing capitalism more difficult and uncomfortable. It’s easy to blame one’s own anxiety on the system and make the latter responsible for it. And while it is true that the system generates anxiety, what we do not often realize is that we also ask capitalism for answers for our own fundamental anxiety, given our fragile and mortal condition.
