Luhmann on Law and Politics

Michael King is Emeritus Professor at the School of Law, University or Reading. Chris Thornhill is Professor of Law at the University of Manchester.

• Introduction Michael King and Chris Thornhill I. Theory and Practice in Law One: Reflections on reflexive law John Paterson Two: What's the use of Luhmann's theory? Michael King II. Politics, Law and Human Rights Three: From subject to system: Some unsystematic systems-theoretical thoughts on race equality and human rights W. Tim Murphy Four: Luhmann's theory of politics: Politics after metaphysics? Chris Thornhill Five: Systems theory and the paradox of human rights Gert Verschraegen Six: The problem of power in Luhmann's systems theory Samantha Ashenden Seven: What is modern power? Jean Clam III. Critical responses Eight: Some observations on Luhmann's concept of society and social anthropologyAnne Friederike Mller Nine: Luhmann's theories Bernd Hornung Ten: Dealing (with) paradoxes: On law, justice and cheating Andreas Philippopoulos-Mihalopoulos

It is as much the way that an author's works are received as the works themselves which determines their importance. This collection edited by Michael King and Chris Thornhill makes worthwhile reading. This volume consists of highly diverse contributions concerning Niklas Luhmann's creative work. Certain of them are careful studies on this or that aspect of Luhmann's work, while others apply Luhmann's conceptual constructions in different settings. This book provides an opportunity to question the meaning and the range of Luhmann's output... Luhmann represents, ... a speculative revolution, and it is for this reason that he merits our attention. Luhmann is one of the most important German sociologists of the second part of the 20th Century. Hugues Rabault Droit et Societe, No 65/2007