I am Professor Emeritus of German Studies at Indiana University, Bloomington. My publications focus primarily on the German philosophical, social theoretical, and political theoretical traditions, with special, though not exclusive, focus on Niklas Luhmann and Carl Schmitt.
Carl Schmitt's critique of liberal pluralism (of individuals and associations) was conducted ... more Carl Schmitt's critique of liberal pluralism (of individuals and associations) was conducted in the name of a different pluralism, a truer pluralism, according to him, namely, the pluralism of equal and sovereign nation-states. His friend/enemy distinction dictates that conflict is the only legitimate model for politics, at least on the international level. By translating Schmitt's theory of politics as conflict into terms derived from the work of Lyotard and Luhmann, this article asks whether Schmitt's concept of the political has any relevance for the contemporary world, especially considering that the liberal pluralism of associations (or social systems) seems to have carried the day. Such a transposition requires that the modern, horizontal structure of operationally closed (but internally bifurcated) social systems be thought of as sovereign states fiercely fighting to maintain their autonomy. Thus, the common battle fought by the anti-modernist, Schmitt, the ultra-modernist, Luhmann, and the post-modernist, Lyotard, is the one against de-differentiation and the expansion of a universalist morality and economy.
... depicts the special status enjoyed by the one discourse which claims that no discourse has a ... more ... depicts the special status enjoyed by the one discourse which claims that no discourse has a ... mere negation, and on the other, the mere noting of paradox and an accusatorial stance. ... this struggle is victoriously marked by the construction of a "transcenden-tal" meta-perspective ...
... the conference. Eva M. Knodt and William Rasch organized the conference. 2. We ... the confer... more ... the conference. Eva M. Knodt and William Rasch organized the conference. 2. We ... the conference. Finally, we would like to thank Skip Willman, Anita Schaad, and Tina O'Donnell for help in preparing the manu-scripts. We owe ...
Carl Schmitt's critique of liberal pluralism (of individuals and associations) was conducted ... more Carl Schmitt's critique of liberal pluralism (of individuals and associations) was conducted in the name of a different pluralism, a truer pluralism, according to him, namely, the pluralism of equal and sovereign nation-states. His friend/enemy distinction dictates that conflict is the only legitimate model for politics, at least on the international level. By translating Schmitt's theory of politics as conflict into terms derived from the work of Lyotard and Luhmann, this article asks whether Schmitt's concept of the political has any relevance for the contemporary world, especially considering that the liberal pluralism of associations (or social systems) seems to have carried the day. Such a transposition requires that the modern, horizontal structure of operationally closed (but internally bifurcated) social systems be thought of as sovereign states fiercely fighting to maintain their autonomy. Thus, the common battle fought by the anti-modernist, Schmitt, the ultra-modernist, Luhmann, and the post-modernist, Lyotard, is the one against de-differentiation and the expansion of a universalist morality and economy.
... depicts the special status enjoyed by the one discourse which claims that no discourse has a ... more ... depicts the special status enjoyed by the one discourse which claims that no discourse has a ... mere negation, and on the other, the mere noting of paradox and an accusatorial stance. ... this struggle is victoriously marked by the construction of a "transcenden-tal" meta-perspective ...
... the conference. Eva M. Knodt and William Rasch organized the conference. 2. We ... the confer... more ... the conference. Eva M. Knodt and William Rasch organized the conference. 2. We ... the conference. Finally, we would like to thank Skip Willman, Anita Schaad, and Tina O'Donnell for help in preparing the manu-scripts. We owe ...
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Papers by William Rasch