How did bureaucracy contribute to the broken world in Gabriel Marcel’s thought?

In the philosophy of Gabriel Marcel, the increasing bureaucratization of modern culture is a primary manifestation of the "broken world" (le monde cassé). Bureaucracy contributes to this fragmentation by reducing human beings to their functional roles within society.1

By identifying individuals solely with their professional tasks, bureaucratic systems stifle inner life and creativity. This process forces people to tie their self-worth to the social status of their jobs or their material possessions, which ultimately fosters alienation.1

This functionalist approach reflects a broader dominance of "primary reflection" and the "spirit of abstraction," which Marcel argued obscures the true nature of being. In such a system, human relationships are often reduced to an "I-It" dynamic—where others are treated as instruments or means to an end rather than as unique "thou" subjects—thereby undermining the essential human capacity for availability (disponibilité) and genuine intersubjective connection.1