Exclusion Individuality or Individualization by Inclusion?

Abstract

Abstract The contribution begins with some remarks on the unavoidable deconstruction of the concepts of subjectivity and of the autonomuos subject as the key concepts of modern western philosophical thought. A sociological perspective has to start where the strong concept of subjectivity ends. It has both to emphasize the societal background of the empirical underdetermination of the individual and to describe this as a new form of social determination. A sociological perspective begins with the description of the conditions for that what the philosophical concept of subjectivity treats as its uncondonditional foundation. That means that sociology begins with the discovery of the empirical individual within social structures. After this the paper reconstructs the theoretical figure of individuality and individualization from the perspective of Luhmann’s systems theory. The second step shows that individuality is more than what is meant by exclusion individuality. This includes a reflection on the individualizing effects of inclusion routines of the function systems in modern society. The last point makes some brief conclusions concerning empirical research on individualization processes.