Self-prohibition in the context of subjectification: man, technology, and the malevolent genius

Abstract

The article analyzes the self-prohibition mechanism for loans and credits, introduced in Russia in 2025, as an element of subjectification. The introduction outlines a recent shift in the history of the concept of the subject, associated with the shift of its problematic to an interdisciplinary field at the intersection of philosophy, social science, and the history of science. The author briefly characterizes the approach used here to study the subject. It is understood as a historical formation realized by individuals in practices and knowledge. The researchers focus on subjectification as the formation of the subject and various models of the subject, reconstructed using empirical material. The author proceeds from the assumption that self-prohibition can function as an element of such subjectification. The main section provides a brief description of the self-prohibition mechanism, introduced as a means of combating cyberfraud, and cites the reasons for this situation, primarily the high level of digitalization of financial processes and the availability of databases. In a first approximation, self-prohibition is intended to create subjects who are responsible for their well-being and make conscious decisions. This mechanism is then compared with the epistemic virtue of mechanical objectivity. It is shown that in both cases, there is a mistrust of the subject, a renunciation of will, and recourse to technology to resolve an ethical problem. However, in the case of self-prohibition, there is no self-improvement, and doubt is directed both inward, at the subject's ability to recognize the threat of cyberfraud, and outward, at the media and the situation as a whole. This doubt is conceptualized using media-ontological suspicion (B. Groys), the figure of the malevolent genius (Descartes), and the precautionary principle (F. Ewald). Self-prohibition is shown to function as an ethical tool of self-help and self-regulation, allowing one to regain control over one's life. Moreover, the subject should be understood in terms of distribution or network, since with the adoption of self-prohibition, it, as a technical and managerial structure, becomes a functional part of the subject.