One of the peculiarities of the capitalist world, a result of its reign that is seldom observed, is its ability to spread forms of guilt everywhere. And with a few rare exceptions, it has to be said that, for once, the sharing is well done, even trickling down on occasion.

Of course, this guilt takes different and often contradictory forms in different circles, but very few are able to escape it.

It’s worth noting at the outset that these feelings of guilt, which have become almost universal, are far removed from any willingness to take responsibility. This is hardly surprising when you think about it, since feelings of guilt are much more easily associated with victimization tendencies. At the same time, it’s clear that nobody wants to be held responsible for anything, especially those in positions of responsibility. They would even be offended by it, they are not there for that!

But what’s the point of feeling guilty if it has no effect on practical reality? Guilty conscience or guilty unconsciousness – that seems to be the choice open to us in this neo-society which, while advocating the most inconsistent individualism, completely neglects the construction of an autonomy for the individual taking his or her place in society.

What characterizes the feeling of guilt in this world is that it is most often associated with an external force, with something that weighs down on the guilty soul, forcing it to behave in ways it will later regret – or deny, which never helps with feelings of guilt. In other times, religions had found an easy answer to this force outside the will: the Devil. The Devil enjoyed a successful career over the centuries, until a certain approach to rationality put an end to it. We almost regret it, because it was so convenient.

But then, with the devil well and truly gone, what is this external force that constrains us more than ever and leads us straight to this heavy guilt that sticks to our heels?

This is where we come into the field of Social Ecology. Restart from the beginning.