Homo Patiens. A socio-philosophical concept. The restitution of "alienation" as a theoretical benchmark for socio-critical approaches. How the transcendental aspects of suffering hint to its progressive potential.

The aim of this work is to place suffering at the center of socio-critical considerations. It initially starts with the criticism of the concept of alienation which can be found in a long tradition within social and political philosophy. The orientation towards concrete experiences of suffering allows conclusions on the current and concrete socio-cultural limits of human formability and adaptability. On the one hand, the reference to suffering ensures that the real human being is indeed at the center of such investigations and no abstraction, which helps avoid overly idealistic speculations. On the other hand, suffering shows up at the nodal point of bio-psycho-sociocultural dimensions and has to be interpreted in this specific interconnectedness. So, putting suffering at the center of socio-philosophical contemplations requires an approach which questions and investigates suffering soberly. Trough the philosophical elaboration of eight different aspects of suffering a multilayered focus on this phenomenon shall be provided which aims to highlight the transcendental and productive sides of suffering. Therefore, suffering is read as a symptom that refers to something hidden and that reveals a certain truth which can provide guidance for social change.