Human capital is not driven by its interests, as was homo oeconomicus of yore. Nor is the classical liberal subject free to make its life and choose its values at will. Rather, human capital is constrained to self-invest in ways that contribute to its appreciation or at least prevent its depreciation; this includes titrating inputs such as education, predicting and adjusting to changing markets in vocations, housing, health, and retirement, and organizing its dating, mating, creative, and leisure practices in value-enhancing ways. Human capital is distinctly not concerned with acquiring the knowledge and experience needed for intelligent democratic citizenship.

Wendy Brown, Undoing the Demos, loc. 360