The Radical Luhmann

Niklas Luhmann (1927-1998) was a German sociologist and system theorist known for his writings on various subjects, including law, economics, and mass media. Advocating a radical constructivism and antihumanism, he aimed to explain society within a universal theoretical framework. Despite his iconoclastic views, Luhmann is often seen as politically conservative. Hans-Georg Moeller reexamines Luhmann's legacy, portraying him as a critical thinker against Western humanism. Moeller highlights Luhmann's transition from philosophy to theory, which brought fresh insights into the contemporary world. Traditionally, philosophy sought to transform contingency into necessity, but Luhmann reversed this, transforming necessity into contingency. He boldly rejected the centrality of humans in social theory, challenging the notion of autonomous agency. This shift, following the deconstructions by Copernicus, Darwin, and Freud, introduced a sociological "fourth insult" to human vanity. By focusing on complex system-environment relations, Luhmann inadvertently addressed the mind-body dualism issue in Western philosophy. His inclusion of communication rendered Platonic dualism obsolete. Moeller elucidates these concepts for better understanding and connects Luhmannian theory to current social issues, capturing a Luhmannian perspective on society and life characterized by modesty, irony, and equanimity.