How Do I Want To Live?

Conformism is the force that translates our own desires through others' desires. We learn to play a role. We become so good at playing the role that we become 'inaccessible' to ourselves; our own desires and truth are 'impenetrable.'

What does it mean to be a parent ? An entrepreneur ? An early adopter of the latest technology? Our roles are bound u... See more

Jaeggi analyzes the forces at play when it comes to alienation and our inability to meaningfully ask how we want to live. She identifies "conformism" and "instrumentalization" as two fundamental forces separating us from ourselves, from others, and from the world.

Conformism is the force that translates our own desires through others' desires. We le... See more

Instrumentalization is the force that shapes our identities into tools. We identify with what we do , how we're used, and how we're valued more. We lack a sense of agency and feel beholden to those individuals or institutions that would use us as tools.

Do we become homeowners, for instance, because we want to own a home ? Or because social, politic... See more

Further, we can't ignore the ways that our alienated condition obstructs our vision. Without a serious critique of the forces that lead to a state of alienation, we can't meaningfully contemplate how we want to live.