"Society must be controlled” "Green Pass” and the experiment of a society of control in Italy

Purpose: The introduction in Italy in July 2021 of the "COVID-19 Green Certification”, known as the "Green Pass”, was a particularly important moment in the political and social history of the country. While its use for health reasons is debatable both logically and scientifically, its effects should be measured at the general sociological level. The "Green Pass” allowed Italian social life to be shaped according to a social and political profile that can be traced back to a "society of control”. This paper aims to discuss the aforementioned issue. Design/methodology/approach: This paper, of a theoretical nature, intends to verify such an interpretation through a critical survey of Gilles Deleuze's well-known Post-scriptum sur les sociétés de contrôle (1990) and relating the theories to it from cybernetic science, sociology of social systems and the continental philosophy, specifically Michel Foucault. After a short introduction on the history of the instrument's introduction, the paper, divided into parts reflecting the set-up of Deleuze's text, examines the systemic social effects of the "Green Pass” with regard to its logic, and concludes with a reflection on the program of the instrument's future developments. Findings: The "Green Pass” put into practice a model of a society of control as anticipated by Deleuze, verified with particular reference to some instances of Luhmann's theory of social systems, and in the perspective of a Foucault's "normalizing society” in the process of definition and affirmation. Social implications: The "Green Pass” has been a controversial tool that has caused forms of social discrimination and exclusion and has seriously questioned the architecture of the rule of law. The conceptual paper tries to reflect on the premises and implications of this instrument. Originality/value: The approach to the problem both in a critical key and according to concepts and theories of the sociology of social systems, cybernetics and continental philosophy. © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Health beyond medicine. A planetary theory extension.

In Niklas Luhmann's vision of the modern functionally differentiated society, health presents one of the essential function systems, along with politics, law, economy and science. While he devoted much effort to elaborating the theoretical foundations of the latter function systems, his work on the health system was relatively sparse. This research gap has been rendered particularly acute by the recent COVID-19 crisis. In reconstructing and updating the Luhmannian analysis of this system, this article presents a three-dimensional concept of organic, psychic and social health and highlights the risks raised by a potential overexpansion of the health concept to the planetary level. The most important of these risks is shown to be the potential rise of totalitarian social control that exceeds classical forms of medical social control. The proposed argument not only contributes to the public criticism of the political responses to the COVID-19 crisis but also fills in some missing pieces of Luhmann's seminal elaboration of the health system.

Systems Theory and Algorithmic Futures: Interview with Elena Esposito

By introducing us into core concepts of Niklas Luhmann's theory of social systems, Elena Esposito shows their relevance for contemporary social sciences and the study of unsettled times. Contending that society is made not by people but by what connects them - as Luhmann does with his concept of communication - creates a fertile ground for addressing societal challenges as diverse as the Corona pandemic or the algorithmic revolution. Esposito more broadly sees in systems theory a relevant contribution to critical theory and a genuine alternative to its Frankfurt School version, while extending its reach to further conceptual refinement and new empirical issues. Fueling such refinement is her analysis of time and the complex intertwinement between past, present and future - a core issue that runs throughout her work. Her current study on the future as a prediction caught between science and divination offers a fascinating empirical case for it, drawing a thought-provoking parallel between the way algorithmic predictions are constructed today and how divinatory predictions were constructed in ancient times.

Niklas Luhmann's anti-totalitarian observation of systems

Purpose>The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the philosophical roots of Luhmann's theory in relation to its anti-totalitarian elements.Design/methodology/approach>The paper offers a conceptual discussion of the critical and anti-totalitarian angle in Niklas Luhmann's system theory.Findings>This paper finds that systems theory has a critical potential.Originality/value>To the best of the authors' knowledge the anti-totalitarian element of Niklas Luhmann's system theory has not be discussed before the present contribution.

The Ecological Threat as a Form of Communication. The Point of View of Niklas Luhmann's Theory of Social Systems

In recent years, ecology has once again risen to the top of the political agenda, attracting the attention of the mass media system. This paper outlines how the social systems theory developed by Niklas Luhmann deals with ecological issues and what is the originality of this approach. It focuses on the ecological threat as a form of communica-tion, on the operational closure of social systems in its relationship with causality, and on resonance. It finally shows that the pandemic COVID-19 could be investigated from this sociological viewpoint as a threat coming from the human environment. © 2021, University of Torino. All rights reserved.