Paul Mason diagnoses today’s crises-economic stagnation, democratic decline, and pervasive digital surveillance-as stemming from the rise of the “neoliberal self”, created by decades of market-driven ideology. This “self” is atomized, competitive, and engineered to perform within an algorithmic capitalist system, eroding human agency and collective identity. Mason warns that unchecked powers of AI and big tech threaten to further suppress democratic freedoms by handing control over individuals’ lives to machines.
To counter this, Mason proposes a radical defence of humanism and a revival of collective action rooted in small-scale resistance. He argues for “micro-level” acts of rebellion-such as rejecting automated checkout systems-as foundational practices of autonomy and civic engagement. He further urges the rekindling of a shared moral philosophy, alongside universal rights, and the establishment of human-centred institutions that reaffirm our agency and dignity amid technological upheaval.