In modern times, in times of capitalism, social inclusion works via exclusion. The money I have is the money the other does not have. My egoism is what I have in common and what I share with all others. Modern times are times of paradoxical loneliness: we are in touch with the rest of the world but this relation is abstract, it is mediated by money. There are complementary tendencies too: only in modern times we can afford the romanticism of personal taste, love, and style – if we are willing to accept the risk of loneliness.

Keywords: Karl Marx, capitalistic societies, loneliness, alienation