Abstract
What does it mean to assert that a society produces negative social experiences? From the standpoint of social ontology, what is the image or figuration of society presuposed in such a diagnosis? This article aims to address such inquiries through the reconstruction of some theoretical models, particularly critical ones. Methodologically, it involves starting from how each model diagnoses negative social experiences in order to better reflect on the various possibilities of understanding the social. This article is divided into three parts. In the first part, focusing on classical social theory, I discuss the treatments given by Durkheim and Marx to the phenomenon of suicide, as well as working with the concept of alienation in the latter. Next, within the realm of Frankfurt critical theory, I expose how both Adorno’s and Honneth’s models can be read as attempts to confront the problem of social suffering within modern societies. Finally, in a third moment, I analyze how negative social experiences are articulated with the idea of radical critique by Luc Boltanski. This perspective will be presented as an alternative to the Honnethian model in overcoming challenges facing the field of critical theory today.