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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewThe fact that Moeller has written such a convincing thesis is a major achievement in itself. It is made more impressive by the fact that he has, through the avoidance of sociological jargon and copious examples to illustrate his points, succeeded in conveying complex, abstract ideas in a way that makes them accessible to readers across a wide range of academic disciplines. -- Michael King, University of Reading Hans-Georg Moeller's timely and brilliant book marks a significant turn in the debate on Niklas Luhmann's great theory: the transition from the opposition pro/against to an external observation of the motives for enthusiasm or rejection. With his usual clarity and fascinating wealth of references, Moeller places Luhmann's theory at the heart of current intellectual reflection, indicating and demolishing the barriers that so far prevented its reception. -- Elena Esposito, Universita di Modena e Reggio Emilia Eminently readable and provocative... Monatshefte
Table of ContentsPreface I. Introduction 1. The Trojan Horse: Luhmann's (Not So) Hidden Radicalism 2. Why He Wrote Such Bad Books II. From Philosophy to Theory 3. The Fourth Insult: A Refutation of Humanism 4. From Necessity to Contingency: A Carnivalization of Philosophy 5. The Last Footnote to Plato: A Solution to the Mind-Body Problem 6. Ecological Evolution: A Challenge to Social Creationism 7. Constructivism as Postmodernist Realism: A Teaching of Differences 8. Democracy as a Utopia: A Deconstruction of Politics 9. Conclusion. Nec spe nec metu: Neither Hope nor Fear Appendix: Niklas Luhmann (1927-1998): A Short Intellectual Biography Abbreviations Notes Index
