The rationality of neoliberalism, predominant today in the Western world everywhere—from work, to the state, to education, to culture—redefines everything and everyone in the image of homo economicus. All forms of behavior are perceived as economic; all areas of existence are framed and measured in economic terms and numbers, even when these areas cannot be directly assessed in money.

Homo economicus is not the creature of Adam Smith driven by the natural impulse "to buy, to exchange, and to repay." Today’s homo economicus is a fully constructed and governed piece of human capital, tasked with improving and optimizing its competitive position, as well as enhancing its (monetary and non-monetary) value in all its activities.

What happens when the teachings and principles of democracy are reconstructed with this logic and governance? What happens when the commitment to individual and collective self-governance, as well as the institutional frameworks supporting it, is overshadowed and then displaced by the exaltation of capital value, competitiveness, and credit ratings?

What happens when the practices and principles of public discourse, thought, law, popular sovereignty, participatory engagement, education, public goods, and the sharing of power are subjected to economization?

"Wendy Brown's book is a warning bell." Bernard E. Harcourt, Professor at Columbia University and the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales.

"A scathing and passionate critique of neoliberal rationality, or rather irrationality, in which Wendy Brown explores its anti-political and anti-democratic impulses, while simultaneously calling on us to defend democratic promises." John Clarke, Open University.

"Wendy Brown, today’s number one radical philosopher, analyzes how neoliberalism 'disembowels' democracy and how the 'economic man' sidelines the 'political'. Wendy Brown has no time for 'leftist melancholy': she urges us to actively defend the principles of freedom, equality, and solidarity by deepening and expanding our democracy." Kostas Douzinas, Director of the Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities.

"As liberalism increasingly influences how people view their lives, Wendy Brown explains the specific and terrifying changes that occur as a result. Her arguments are filled with power and clarity – they help us understand our world and what we must do to rejuvenate our political imagination and political practices." Raymon Geuss, University of Cambridge.

"A devastating critique of the gradual destruction of democratic politics by a distinguished theorist, a necessary, passionate defense of political autonomy." Rainer Forst, University of Frankfurt.