202 Christopher R. Bell
horizon of subjectivity is informed by the economic doctrine of
neoliberalism to such an extent that this economic imperative pervades
virtually all other areas of contemporary life. Thus, in the current
neoliberal cultural context, Teo (2018) states,
the intellectual form of life becomes subsumed under neo-liberal
principles (as universities can attest to; see Ergül & Coşar, 2017). An
artistic conduct of life is dependent on the market, even more so than a
theoretic form of life, and political forms of life are dominated by a donor
class. (p. 583).Teo’s analysis of neoliberalism as constituting a distinct form of life is
inspired by the social hermeneutic investigations of Eduard Spranger, who
explored how broader cultural forms shape human subjectivity. While
Spranger’s original study was translated as Types of Men consonant with
the concept of personality, Teo offers the more accurate translation Forms
of Life consonant with the concept of subjectivity. Spranger succinctly
encapsulated his position regarding the influence of culture on human
subjectivity stating:
On a lower level, perhaps, the soul is purely biologically determined.
On a higher level, the historical, for instance, the soul participates in
objective values which cannot be deduced from the simple value of self-
preservation. (as cited in Gier, 1981, p. 56)Teo sets out to provide an updated Sprangerian analysis of present-day
subjectivity centered upon the currently dominant cultural logic of
neoliberalism. Teo focuses on elaborating four dimensions of neoliberal
subjectivity—the relation to self, the characteristic mode of thinking, the
characteristic mode of feeling, and the type of agency. Teo (2018) argues
that the neoliberal relation to self involves a collapse in an older distinction
between a larger Self involving spiritual or social dimensions and a
narrower Ego focused on immediate gain or advantage (p. 585)
Under neoliberal conditions, one relates to oneself primarily as if
managing a small business. This involves applying modes of self-discipline