S03E40 - Jan Overwijk on Cybernetic Capitalism and Critical Systems Theory

Jan Overwijk discusses critical systems theory, sociologies of closure and openness, and cybernetic capitalism.

Shownotes

Jan Overwijk at the Frankfurt University Institute for Social Research:

ifs.uni-frankfurt.de/personendetails/jan-overw…

Jan at the University of Humanistic Studies Utrecht:

uvh.nl/university-of-humanistic-studies/contac…

Overwijk, J. (2025). Cybernetic Capitalism. A Critical Theory of the Incommunicable. Fordham University Press.

fordhampress.com/9781531508937/cybernetic-capi…

on the website of the distributor outside of North America you can order the book with a 30% discount with the code “FFF24”:

combinedacademic.co.uk/9781531508937/cyberneti…

on Niklas Luhmann:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niklas_Luhmann

Baraldi, C., Corsi, G., & Esposito, E. (2021). Unlocking Luhmann. A Keyword Introduction to Systems Theory. transcript.

transcript-verlag.de/978-3-8376-5674-9/unlocki…

Fischer-Lescano, A. (2011). Critical Systems Theory. Philosophy & Social Criticism, 38(1), 3–23.

journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0191453711421…

Möller, K., & Siri, J. (2023). Niklas Luhmann and Critical Systems Theory. In: R. Rogowski (Ed.), The Anthem Companion to Niklas Luhmann (pp. 141–154).

cambridge.org/core/books/abs/anthem-companion-…

on Critical Theory:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_theory

on Cybernetics:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cybernetics

Future Histories explanation video on cybernetics (in German):

youtu.be/QBKC9mM8-so?si=64v0OgBKV3xjXvLl

on Humberto Matuarana:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humberto_Maturana

on Francisco Varela:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francisco_Varela

Maturana, H. R., & Varela, F. J. (1992). Tree of Knowledge: The Biological Roots of Human Understanding. Shambhala.

uranos.ch/research/references/Maturana1988/mat…

on Ferdinand de Saussure:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_de_Saussure

on Post-Structuralism:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-structuralism

on the differentiation of society into subsystems:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Differentiation_(sociology)

on Jaques Derrida:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Derrida

Bob Jessop on Luhmann and the concept of “ecological dominance”:

researchgate.net/publication/318543419_The_rel…

Jessop, B. (2010). From Hegemony to Crisis? The Continuing Ecological Dominance of Neoliberalism. In: K. Birch & V. Mykhnenko (Eds.). Rise and Fall of Neoliberalism: The Collapse of an Economic Order? (pp. 171–187). Zed Books.

researchgate.net/publication/318524063_The_con…

on Surplus Value in Marx and Marxism:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surplus_value

on Louis Althusser:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Althusser

Althusser, L. (2014). On the Reproduction of Capitalism: Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses. Verso.

legalform.blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/alth…

on Stuart Hall:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuart_Hall_(cultural_th…)

on Capital Strikes:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_strike

on the concept of “rationalization” in sociology:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rationalization_(sociology)

on Max Weber:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Weber

Weber, M. (2005). The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. Routledge.

gpde.direito.ufmg.br/wp-content/uploads/2019/0…

Zuboff, S. (2019). The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power. Profile Books.

profilebooks.com/work/the-age-of-surveillance-…

on Surveillance Capitalism:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surveillance_capitalism

on Herbert Marcuse:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_Marcuse

Marcuse, H. (2002). One-Dimensional Man. Studies in the Ideology of Advanced Industrial Society. Routledge.

files.libcom.org/files/Marcuse,%20H%20-%20One-…).pdf

on Jürgen Habermas:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%BCrgen_Habermas

on Jean-François Lyotard:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Fran%C3%A7ois_Lyotard

Lyotard, J.-F. (1988). The Differend. Phrases in Dispute. University of Minnesota Press.

upress.umn.edu/9780816616114/differend

on Thermodynamics:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermodynamics

on the Technocracy Movement:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technocracy_movement

Bauman, Z. (2000). Liquid Modernity. Polity.

giuseppecapograssi.wordpress.com/wp-content/up…

on New Materialism:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_materialism

on Gilles Deleuze:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilles_Deleuze

on Bruno Latour:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruno_Latour

on Donna Haraway:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donna_Haraway

for criticisms of new materialism and associated tendencies and authors:

Malm, A. (2018). The Progress of this Storm. Nature and Society in a Warming World. Verso.

versobooks.com/products/574-the-progress-of-th…

Brown, W. (2019). In the Ruins of Neoliberalism: The Rise of Antidemocratic Politics in the West. Columbia University Press.

social-ecology.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2023/…

Hendrikse, R. (2018). Neo-illiberalism. Geoforum, 95, 169–172.

sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S001…

on N. Katherine Hayles:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N._Katherine_Hayles

Deleuze, G. (1992). Postscript on the Societies of Control. October. Vol. 59. (Winter 1992), 3-7.

cidadeinseguranca.wordpress.com/wp-content/upl…

Brenner, R., Glick, M. (1991). The Regulation Approach. Theory and History. New Left Review. 1/188.

newleftreview.org/issues/i188/articles/robert-…

on the “Regulation School”:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regulation_school

Chiapello, E., & Boltanski, L. (2018). The New Spirit of Capitalism. Verso.

versobooks.com/products/1980-the-new-spirit-of…

Hardt, M., & Negri, A. (2000). Empire. Harvard University Press.

monoskop.org/images/9/95/Hardt_Michael_Negri_A…

on the Tierra Artificial Life Program:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tierra_(computer_simulat…)

on Gilbert Simondon:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilbert_Simondon

on Karen Barad:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_Barad

on Post-Fordism:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-Fordism

on Taylorism:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_management

Srnicek, N. (2017). Platform Capitalism. Polity.

politybooks.com/bookdetail?book_slug=platform-…

Hayek, F. A. (2014). The Constitution of Liberty. Routledge.

ia600805.us.archive.org/35/items/TheConstituti…

van Dyk, S. (2018). Post-Wage Politics and the Rise of Community Capitalism. Work, Employment and Society, 32(3), 528–545.

journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0950017018755…

on Rosa Luxemburg:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_Luxemburg

on Luxemburg’s thought on imperialism:

rosalux.de/en/news/id/44096/rosa-luxemburgs-he…

Fraser, N. (2022). Cannibal Capitalism. How our System is Devouring Democracy, Care, and …