I’ve spent some time thinking about what it means to exist without having consented to existence, and what a rational response to that predicament might look like. This draft manuscript represents an attempt to systematize those thoughts into something resembling a coherent philosophical framework.
The central concept is homo coactus – the coerced human. We are brought into existence without consent, denied autonomous exit through systematic institutional prohibition, and subjected to biological drives, social obligations, and temporal demands that operate independently of our rational preferences. Most philosophical and religious traditions respond to this condition by demanding additional energy expenditure: create meaning, pursue transcendence, engage politically, develop yourself spiritually. This framework asks: what if the more rational response is strategic withdrawal?
What’s in here
The book develops the concept of “existential minimalism” – not as depression or nihilistic despair, but as a practical philosophy of energy conservation. It examines how coercion operates at multiple levels: biological (sexual drive, ageing, sleep requirements), temporal (the tyranny of consciousness requiring continuous stimulation), institutional (the denial of exit rights, mandatory labour), and social (the impossibility of authentic reciprocal relationships).
Rather than seeking to transcend these constraints, the framework focuses on managing them efficiently through what I call “existential hibernation” – maintaining minimal viable participation in social and economic systems while preserving maximum energy for autonomous functioning.
The analysis includes:
- A systematic critique of exit rights denial and the institutional convergence that maintains involuntary existence
- Examination of work as existential coercion rather than merely economic exploitation
- Analysis of temporal anxiety and how attention capture systems exploit our need to fill consciousness
- Re-conceptualization of sexuality as biological maintenance rather than identity or relationship validation
- Arguments for why political solutions cannot address ontological problems
- Development of “minimal ethics” based on harm reduction rather than positive moral obligations
- The concept of “disappearance” as ultimate expression of energy conservation
On the philosophical tradition
The framework draws on but ultimately critiques existentialism (which demands heroic engagement despite recognizing groundlessness), Buddhism and Stoicism (which promise transcendence through energy-intensive transformation programs), and political philosophy (which assumes social reorganization can solve structural problems of consciousness itself).
A note on citations and references
The bibliographic references and footnotes were generated with AI assistance and should be treated with appropriate scepticism. While I’ve attempted to cite relevant philosophical sources accurately, AI systems can produce plausible-looking citations that may contain errors or refer to non-existent passages. Readers interested in the primary sources should verify citations independently before relying on them for scholarly purposes. The core arguments stand independent of the citation apparatus.
Why I’m posting this
This is a first draft. It’s incomplete, likely contains errors, and represents thinking-in-progress rather than definitive conclusions. I used AI assistance to help organize and articulate scattered thoughts into readable form – the ideas are mine, the prose is collaborative.
I’m not a professional philosopher. I’m not seeking publication, building a movement, or trying to convince anyone of anything. The writing served a function while I was doing it. Now it’s done serving that function. Whether it serves any function for anyone else is not something I’m investing energy in determining.
If you find something useful here, take it. If not, that’s fine too. The framework itself argues against treating creative output as requiring external validation or lasting cultural impact.
Technical note: This PDF is freely available for download and reading. Questions of ownership, reuse, and future licensing are addressed on the About me page of my website, where they already exist and require no further elaboration here.
The complete first draft is available as a PDF here:
[Download]
More words to ponder at maciejmodzelewski.com
hidden pilcrow 