Luca Micaloni
Università Sapienza di Roma, Dipartimento di Scienze Politiche (luca.micaloni@uniroma1.it).
Enigma or Explanation? The Two Faces of Voluntary Servitude and a Compatibilist Hypothesis
Abstract: This article explores the conceptual and theoretical tensions inherent in the notion of voluntary servitude, as formulated by Étienne de La Boétie. The Discours de la servitude volontaire is read through a dual lens: as an enigmatic formulation of political submission freely chosen by the dominated, and as a text that simultaneously gestures toward sociological and psychological explanations of obedience. The paper investigates whether a genuinely free will can wilfully choose subjection against its own interests, and whether such a paradox can be retained without reducing it to ideological distortion, unconscious drives, or rational calculation. The article critically examines various interpretive frameworks, assessing their ability to preserve or dissolve the paradoxical nature of the concept. Finally, the author proposes a compatibilist hypothesis: a theoretical framework in which voluntary servitude can be both determined by social structures and retained as a meaningful expression of agency. This compatibilist approach seeks to overcome the binary between enigma and explanation, enabling a more nuanced understanding of political subjection without dismissing the role of individual volition.
Keywords: Voluntary Servitude; La Boétie; Free Will; Compatibilism; Determinism.