A philosophical problem why servitude?

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1590/2965-1557.037.e202532160

Keywords:

Voluntary servitude, domination, freedom, desire, imaginary

Abstract

The present article aims to discuss the conditions of possibility for the issue of human servitude to be inscribed in the history of thought as a philosophical problem. To that end, we will revisit the classic essay "The Voluntary Servitude," by Etienne de La Boétie, since by daring to question not only the political fact of domination but also to invert the perspective and ask about its opposite: if command necessarily depends on its contrary, why do we obey?, the author not only changed the coordinates on which political thought was based but also decisively implicated human will in the production and reproduction of servitude. It is, therefore, voluntary servitude as a symptom of an era—born with the constitution of the political field—that unfolds in La Boétie's discourse; hence, paradoxically, a trans-historical issue that continues to provoke inquiries in the contemporary context.

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Author Biography

Tatiane de Andrade, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro

Doutoranda em Teoria Psicanalítica pela UFRJ; Mestra em Psicologia Social e Política pela UFS; Graduada em Psicologia.

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Published

2025-10-15

How to Cite

Andrade, T. de. (2025). A philosophical problem why servitude?. Revista De Filosofia Aurora, 37. https://doi.org/10.1590/2965-1557.037.e202532160

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Section

Continuous Flow