Die Macht der Ordnung

The problem of order has remained unanswered up to now in the social sciences. Examining this problem from a systematic perspective, Andreas Anter interprets the meaning of the disparate discourses held on order in the modern age. In the works of Hobbes and Tocqueville, Max Weber and Walter Eucken, the problem of order was shown to be of fundamental importance. All central political concepts in the modern age pertain to order, and there are scarcely any political theories which were not influenced by this concept. Andreas Anter's study shows that order is mainly a principle of distinction, since each type of order is composed of boundaries. The study also demonstrates a fundamental paradox: the fact that each order has to allow disorder so that it can assert itself.

»A clear, enlightening and substantial treatment, ... highly sophisticated and persuasive, ... an impressive book.«
Gianfranco Poggi, Max Weber Studies, Vol. 8 (2008), S. 247-249