The following presentation was prepared for a talk delivered on 16 October 2026 at the invitation of Labris Platform. The presentation treats economics as part of life and places at its centre the social relations that shape it. Drawing on examples from philosophy, literature, music, painting, cartoons and cinema, it examines how the market order has shaped the conditions of life and the scope of democracy, from the Enlightenment and industrialisation to neoliberal globalisat