On the afternoon of September 23rd, 2025, the 45th session of the Marxism Forum and the 47th session of the Zhengsi Academic Workshop were successfully held at Southeast University, co-hosted by the School of Marxism and the Research Institute for the Development of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics. The academic lecture titled “Self-Governance in a Neurochemical Manner: Foucault's Critique of Contemporary Psychopathology & Kierkegaard on the Cannibalistic System of Capitalism” took place in Room 1601 of the Humanities and Social Sciences Building at the Jiulonghu Campus. Professors Fabian Freyenhagen and Daniel Watts were invited as keynote speakers, with Professor Chen Liangbin from the School of Marxism serving as the host.

At the beginning of the lecture, Professor Fabian Freyenhagen utilized Foucault's theory of power as a framework, initiating his discussion from the concept of "normative illness." He revealed how the pursuit of diagnosis and pharmaceutical treatment for mental health has become tools for power regulation and self-optimization, critiquing the invisible micro power mechanisms present in modern society. Following this, Associate Professor Daniel Watts analyzed Kierkegaard's perspective on capitalism's "cannibalistic system." He argued that Kierkegaard, through his analysis of capitalist "cannibalistic Christianity," highlighted its self-concealed, self-consuming, and self-replicating characteristics. Lastly, Associate Professor Watts proposed three empirical strategies for resistance based on Kierkegaard's framework: exposing the system, taking proactive intervention, and reclaiming the lifestyles and subjectivities that the system has deprived.

In conclusion, Professor Chen Liangbin from the School of Marxism summarized the lecture. During the open discussion segment, faculty and students engaged with the professors on issues such as the "Chinese-style psychological dilemmas" and the "impact of family environment on mental health." The lecture concluded to enthusiastic applause from the attending faculty and students.

Speaker Biographies:

Professor Fabian Freyenhagen is the Head of the Philosophy Department at the University of Essex, having completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Oxford and earned his Ph.D. from the University of Sheffield. He has previously served as a lecturer at the University of Cambridge. His primary research focuses on ethics and political philosophy, particularly critical theory, and he has published over ten papers in significant academic journals such as Inquiry and Philosophy & Social Criticism. He is the author of Adorno's Practical Philosophy(Cambridge University Press, 2013), which has considerable academic influence.

Associate Professor Daniel Watts obtained his doctorate from the University of Sheffield, with main research interests in Kierkegaard, Wittgenstein, and the phenomenological tradition.