On 16 September 2025, the Rafael del Pino Foundation organised the master lecture "The modern malaise and the price of freedom", which was given by Víctor Lapuente. After the keynote lecture, Professor Lapuente spoke with David Mejía. The event was held on the occasion of the publication of Víctor Lapuente's work entitled Immanence (AdN Editorial Grupo Anaya 2025). In his works, Professor Lapuente subtly describes contemporary evils and their roots in a technocratic and dehumanising logic, as well as the risks of digital anarchy.
Víctor Lapuente D. in Political Science from Oxford University and is currently Professor and Director of the Quality of Government Institute at the University of Gothenburg and Visiting Professor at ESADE. His research analyses why some countries enjoy a higher quality of government than others, and has been published in scientific journals such as The Journal of Politics, European Journal of Political Research, Journal of Public Administration Research & Theory, Governance, Party Politics, Political Research Quarterly or Local Government Studies. His analyses have been mentioned in international media such as The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, The Economist, The Guardian, Politico, BBC Radio, CNN, Time Magazine, Foreign Policy, among others. He is a columnist for El País and a contributor to Cadena SER. He is the author of Organizando el Leviatán. Why the balance between politicians and bureaucrats improves governments (Deusto, 2018; in English, Cambridge University Press 2017) and The Return of the Shamans (Península, 2015).
David Mejía is Professor of Philosophy at CUNEF University. He holds a PhD from the University of Columbia (New York). He previously graduated in Philosophy at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and in Literary Theory at the Universidad Complutense. He has been a contributor to the newspaper El Español and The Objectivewhere he hosted the interview podcast Crossed lives. He also collaborates with publications such as Keys to Practical Reason, Book Review, Letras Libres o Cuadernos Hispanoamericanos.
Summary:
On 16 September 2025, the Rafael del Pino Foundation hosted the keynote lecture "Modern malaise and the price of freedom".The event will be given by Víctor Lapuente, Professor of Political Science at the University of Göteborgon the occasion of the publication of his work Immanence (AdN - Anaya Group). After his presentation, he had a dialogue with David Mejía, journalist and philosopherThe conference will focus on the risks and opportunities for our societies in the digital age.
Expanding economy, shrinking citizens
One of Lapuente's most provocative diagnoses is the western paradoxDespite economic growth, falling unemployment and gains in life expectancy, people say that they are more likely to be more dissatisfied, anxious and pessimistic.
In the United States, less than half of the population believes they will prosper, compared to two-thirds at the turn of the century. In Spain, 75% believe that their children will live worse than they do. This decoupling of material progress and subjective well-being raises key questions for economic analysis: is it enough to measure GDP and productivity to assess the success of a society?
The hidden cost of hyper-individualism
Lapuente identifies one cross-cutting factor: the hyperindividualism. Fuelled by unchecked market logics, a technocratic culture and the dynamics of social networks, it has generated more narcissistic, lonely and distrustful societies.
The economic consequence is twofold:
Falling social trustwhich makes transactions more expensive and increases the demand for regulation.
Institutional weaknesseswhich undermines the attractiveness for investment and innovation.
In other words, a distrustful society spends more on control and less on growth.
1984 or a digital brave new world?
In contrast to those who see the future in terms of the 1984Lapuente warns of a less visible risk: the risk of a anarchic cyberdemocracywhere individuals disconnected from common projects seek only immediate gratification.
This scenario would have profound economic implications: job insecurity under the logic of the "gig economy", erosion of social capital and a governance incapable of sustaining public goods.
Institutions and values as productive capital
The professor stressed the importance of combining impartial and professional institutions -able to treat everyone the same - with the recovery of transcendent values that offer shared meaning. From an economic perspective, both factors are authentic. intangible capitalThey build trust, reduce transaction costs and encourage long-term investment.
Examples such as the Nordic countries show how social trust can reduce regulation and improve competitiveness. In contrast, systems with politicised bureaucracies - like much of Latin America - end up trapped in vicious circles of distrust, corruption and low growth.
Lapuente's message to economists, politicians and business people is clear: economic progress cannot be sustained without trust, cohesion and shared horizons. The real price of freedom, in times of modern unrest, is not measured in euros or GDP, but in the ability of societies to reconcile economic efficiency and collective sense.
The Rafael del Pino Foundation is not responsible for the comments, opinions or statements made by the people who participate in its activities and which are expressed as a result of their inalienable right to freedom of expression and under their sole responsibility. The contents included in the summary of this conference are the result of the debates held at the meeting held for this purpose at the Foundation and are the responsibility of their authors.
The Rafael del Pino Foundation is not responsible for any comments, opinions or statements made by third parties. In this respect, the FRP is not obliged to monitor the views expressed by such third parties who participate in its activities and which are expressed as a result of their inalienable right to freedom of expression and under their own responsibility. The contents included in the summary of this conference are the result of the discussions that took place during the conference organised for this purpose at the Foundation and are the sole responsibility of its authors.
