II. Aggression

In the context of modernity, the world is, to a large extent, experienced as a point of aggression by those who inhabit it. In accordance with the functionalist logic inherent in systemic imperatives (such as rationalization, optimization, growth, expansion, competition, and profit-maximization), the modern world is dominated by the structural principle of dynamic stabilization and the cultural principle of the expansion of humanity’s reach. A society that can stabilize itself only dynamically—and seeks to achieve this through constant economic growth, technological acceleration, and cultural innovation—is bound to generate pathological levels of desire for endless escalation.