The Radical Luhmann

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Political, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, Politics, History & Theory
Cover of the book The Radical Luhmann by Hans-Georg Moeller, Columbia University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Hans-Georg Moeller ISBN: 9780231527170
Publisher: Columbia University Press Publication: November 15, 2011
Imprint: Columbia University Press Language: English
Author: Hans-Georg Moeller
ISBN: 9780231527170
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Publication: November 15, 2011
Imprint: Columbia University Press
Language: English

Niklas Luhmann (1927-1998) was a German sociologist and system theorist who wrote on law, economics, politics, art, religion, ecology, mass media, and love. Luhmann advocated a radical constructivism and antihumanism, or "grand theory," to explain society within a universal theoretical framework. Nevertheless, despite being an iconoclast, Luhmann is viewed as a political conservative. Hans-Georg Moeller challenges this legacy, repositioning Luhmann as an explosive thinker critical of Western humanism.

Moeller focuses on Luhmann's shift from philosophy to theory, which introduced new perspectives on the contemporary world. For centuries, the task of philosophy meant transforming contingency into necessity, in the sense that philosophy enabled an understanding of the necessity of everything that appeared contingent. Luhmann pursued the opposite—the transformation of necessity into contingency. Boldly breaking with the heritage of Western thought, Luhmann denied the central role of humans in social theory, particularly the possibility of autonomous agency. In this way, after Copernicus's cosmological, Darwin's biological, and Freud's psychological deconstructions of anthropocentrism, he added a sociological "fourth insult" to human vanity.

A theoretical shift toward complex system-environment relations helped Luhmann "accidentally" solve one of Western philosophy's primary problems: mind-body dualism. By pulling communication into the mix, Luhmann rendered the Platonic dualist heritage obsolete. Moeller's clarity opens such formulations to general understanding and directly relates Luhmannian theory to contemporary social issues. He also captures for the first time a Luhmannian attitude toward society and life, defined through the cultivation of modesty, irony, and equanimity.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Niklas Luhmann (1927-1998) was a German sociologist and system theorist who wrote on law, economics, politics, art, religion, ecology, mass media, and love. Luhmann advocated a radical constructivism and antihumanism, or "grand theory," to explain society within a universal theoretical framework. Nevertheless, despite being an iconoclast, Luhmann is viewed as a political conservative. Hans-Georg Moeller challenges this legacy, repositioning Luhmann as an explosive thinker critical of Western humanism.

Moeller focuses on Luhmann's shift from philosophy to theory, which introduced new perspectives on the contemporary world. For centuries, the task of philosophy meant transforming contingency into necessity, in the sense that philosophy enabled an understanding of the necessity of everything that appeared contingent. Luhmann pursued the opposite—the transformation of necessity into contingency. Boldly breaking with the heritage of Western thought, Luhmann denied the central role of humans in social theory, particularly the possibility of autonomous agency. In this way, after Copernicus's cosmological, Darwin's biological, and Freud's psychological deconstructions of anthropocentrism, he added a sociological "fourth insult" to human vanity.

A theoretical shift toward complex system-environment relations helped Luhmann "accidentally" solve one of Western philosophy's primary problems: mind-body dualism. By pulling communication into the mix, Luhmann rendered the Platonic dualist heritage obsolete. Moeller's clarity opens such formulations to general understanding and directly relates Luhmannian theory to contemporary social issues. He also captures for the first time a Luhmannian attitude toward society and life, defined through the cultivation of modesty, irony, and equanimity.

More books from Columbia University Press

Cover of the book The Task Planner by Hans-Georg Moeller
Cover of the book How to Read Chinese Poetry Workbook by Hans-Georg Moeller
Cover of the book States Without Nations by Hans-Georg Moeller
Cover of the book Storytelling in World Cinemas by Hans-Georg Moeller
Cover of the book Electric Sounds by Hans-Georg Moeller
Cover of the book Security and Profit in China’s Energy Policy by Hans-Georg Moeller
Cover of the book Beyond Gnosticism by Hans-Georg Moeller
Cover of the book Speculative Taxidermy by Hans-Georg Moeller
Cover of the book The Birth of Chinese Feminism by Hans-Georg Moeller
Cover of the book Words on Screen by Hans-Georg Moeller
Cover of the book Wombs in Labor by Hans-Georg Moeller
Cover of the book Mediamorphosis by Hans-Georg Moeller
Cover of the book The Curious Tale of Mandogi's Ghost by Hans-Georg Moeller
Cover of the book Reform Cinema in Iran by Hans-Georg Moeller
Cover of the book Danger: Diabolik by Hans-Georg Moeller
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy