Capitalism promises us a paradise, but are we living in hell? At this stage of technological development, what kind of progress are we talking about? Can economic progress be incompatible with human progress? Why does the modern economy succeed by maximising the deadly sins? Can these sins be strengths if they are seen in a different light?
Pride, greed, envy, anger, lust, gluttony and sloth. These are the seven deadly sins known to us all. Their number was not chosen at random: the number seven, a sign of the creation of the world, symbolises self-understanding… These sins are present in every human being. They reflect an imbalance because they share a fundamental point: excess.
The modern economy works in the same way. By commoditising everything, it constantly renews our needs in a never-ending race. It evolves according to the money-commodity-currency cycle so decried by Marx, where capital produces a commodity which is itself paid for in money. And it does so in a perpetual repetition.
The goods and services it creates in indefinite quantities produce the best things as well as the worst. There are organic products as well as ultra-processed products, renewable energies as well as carbon-based energies, solidarity banks as well as hedge funds, humanitarian associations as well as industrial lobbies…
But these days, it’s the worst innovations that are the most valued. In a way, they are the most “successful”, according to the contemporary view of success, which is essentially financial.
The modern economy does not just exploit labour and nature. By transforming human inclinations into commercial opportunities, it also exploits our psychological flaws.
If we look closely, its success lies in maximising the deadly sins, to the extent that the biggest companies symbolise each of them.
Let’s analyse them one by one.
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- Pride. Pride is the will to omnipotence. It’s the greatest of sins, and yet it’s everywhere: big business and the elites impose their rules on the world, new technologies are increasingly transgressive (AI, transhumanism, space conquest, etc.), skyscrapers are being built ever taller, etc. In one way or another, the biggest companies reflect this pride. Whether it’s OpenAI, which is creating a structure superior to human intelligence (generative AI), Meta, which is building a virtual parallel world (the metaverse), or Neuralink, which would connect the human brain directly to machines, these successful companies fully symbolise the surpassing of all human and natural limits.
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- Greed. Greed is the excessive attachment to money, and the contemporary economy is based on the constant quest for profit. The accumulation of wealth, tax havens and excessive speculation are all modern forms of greed. The world’s largest hedge funds and asset managers, such as BlackRock, accumulate indefinite amounts of money and thus champion this cardinal sin.
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- Envy. Envy is a deep-seated vice: it means wanting what someone else has. These days, marketing and advertising constantly make us dream of other people’s lives, in a competition where everyone tries to compare themselves, without ever being satisfied with what they are and what they have. In particular, social networking platforms such as TikTok and Instagram are enjoying great success, having built their business model on envy, jealousy and self-presentation. In the same way, multinationals, particularly those in the luxury goods sector, use their advertising to sell an image of success based on possession that encourages constant comparison.
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- Anger. Anger by definition is inner violence, the inability to control one’s emotions, the desire for revenge. Of course, no company bases its business model on anger. There would be no point in selling a product that aspires to hatred. But the modern economy, by creating the best and the worst, generates inhuman inequalities that arouse anger in everyone. Precariousness generates violence, represented as much by physical aggression as by the rise of radical discourse, populism…
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- Lust. Lust is the immoderate pursuit of sexual desire. The MindGeek company, which brings together the major platforms of the pornographic industry, including YouPorn, Pornhub, etc., is enjoying worldwide success. Similarly, applications for monetising one’s body and sexuality, such as OnlyFans, are attracting record numbers of users. The human being has thus been reduced to a consumer object.
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- Gluttony. Gluttony, as we all know, is not a passing fancy. It’s a compulsive need for food pleasure. As the modern economy constantly pushes us to consume, it also pushes those who can afford it to eat non-stop, sometimes to the point of obesity. Multinationals such as McDonald’s and Coca-Cola fall into this category.
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- Laziness. Finally, laziness is not just weariness. It is the refusal of physical, moral and intellectual effort. In other words, passivity in the face of everything. But the permanent satisfaction of immediate pleasure, through algorithmic tools, stimulates laziness in everyone. The power of algorithms everywhere, especially on social networks and online platforms such as YouTube, is creating an addiction that encourages a sedentary lifestyle.
These deadly sins are human behaviour taken to extremes. The reason we are so weak at maintaining them is that we are, wrongly, guided more by our desires than our reason. In a magnificent book entitled ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’, Daniel Kahneman presents system 1 and system 2, which explain how our brain reacts to process information and, above all, make decisions. Whereas system 1 acts unconsciously, quickly and emotionally, system 2 uses logic and critical thinking. In the same way, Freud showed that we first activate our primitive instincts before putting our reason to work. This opposition is in fact comparable to the difference between the body, which acts by impulse, and the mind, which acts by wisdom. Although they are not separate, the body is material and subject to physical laws, while the mind is immaterial and subject to infinite desire.
The modern economy, by constantly creating new needs, appeals to our bodies rather than our minds. This paradox illustrates all the evil that reigns today: our desire for the infinite is never satisfied because it is filled by material goods. But when these goods run out, they recreate an equally persistent void. We have never produced so many goods and services, yet levels of anxiety, loneliness, addiction and depression have never been so high.
These sins could be great qualities if applied in a moderate form. Moderate pride can be a sign of ambition if it is concentrated on oneself, or a powerful artistic force if it is reflected in an external element (painting, music, poetry, architecture, etc.). Moderate avarice can make it possible, in a mercantile society, to live easily and indulge in everyday pleasures (going on holiday, travelling, eating what one likes, choosing one’s hobbies or projects without constraint, being able to say yes or no, etc.). Moderate indulgence naturally becomes gastronomy. It’s the taste of good things, not the permanent satiation of products that fill an inner void. Moderate lust becomes sensuality and intimacy, awakening the desire of the heart and allowing great fulfilment. Moderate craving can also be highly creative, shaping a competitive spirit and nurturing ambition. Top sportsmen and women, for example, observe the success of their opponents in order to surpass themselves and achieve new personal bests. Anger, in its moderate form, can also be extremely motivating. It awakens in us a sense of injustice and encourages indignation and change, be it political, social, economic… It is in this perspective that the greatest social advances have been made.
Finally, moderate laziness can be synonymous with stepping back. It allows reflection and contemplation in the face of life and its mysteries.
In their new state, the deadly sins could be renamed:
Pride: Ambition
Greed: Moderation
Gluttony: Taste
Lust: Sensuality
Envy : Inspiration
Anger : Indignation
Laziness : Contemplation
From the economy of the seven deadly sins, we enter the economy of the seven deadly blessings. Virtue would be encouraged in the face of vice.
For such an economy to emerge, all sectors need to move towards this new vision. Admittedly, this change is gradually emerging. The need to adopt a more balanced model is self-evident, because the increasing number of crises is proving to be a break with the normal order of things. Large companies are gradually realising that their long-term survival depends on taking human needs into account. That maximising profit cannot be an end in itself, otherwise their own activities would be jeopardised.
But for the time being, this transformation remains cosmetic. It is even often exploited.
The only positive thing about this trend is that it is the subject of lasting change. For that to happen, everyone needs to understand that this project is in their own interests. There is still a long way to go.