Individualism and the Rise of Egosystems by Matteo Pietropaoli

of the hyper-consumer individual, yet none fully or better in the properly orthodox sense attributed to it. Two other archetypal images must be added to them, which transversely concern the previous four: Narcissus and Cronus , both present in a pressing and peculiar way in hypermodernity. But above all Lipovetsky recognizes that he is facing an existential multiplicity mostly moving between dichotomies, which revolve themselves around the idea of the seventh metaphorical figure: Two-faced Janus , the duality . That is, at the bottom, the homo felix is characterized by “paradoxical happiness ” which is both wellbeing and ill-being . Penia , Greek goddess and personification of need and poverty, is the first archetype mentioned. It represents the “ lack ” in advanced capitalism society, a lack above all existential according to critics. Before addressing what Lipovetsky affirms, it is important to understand that in Greek mythology, according to Plato ’s account in Symposium , Penia is mother of Eros (Love), who conceives together with Poros , a representation of research, contrivance and expedience. Penia is not invited to the feast for the birthday of Aphrodite , because she has no suitable clothes, but enters secretly and conceives “Love” on the ground, which Plato describes as follows, through Socrates : First of all, he is always poor; and he is far from being tender and beautiful, as the many believe, but is tough, squalid, shoeless, and homeless, always lying on the gro