DI KURT BAYERTZ
ABSTRACT – The theory that has long been hegemonic in the European tradition, namely that order necessarily presupposes an orderer and is therefore dependent on authorities, cannot be maintained. That is, a spontaneous order is possible. The “anti-authoritarian” thesis that order is at best boring and narrow- minded, and at worst repressive or totalitarian, is equally unconvincing, because this theory is based on the same false premise that order necessarily requires an organiser; and also it overlooks the fact that without order, no life and no good life is possible. It is true that order is relative; but not that it is completely contingent. There is room for a variety of solutions in the design of social order; at the same time, there are different types of constraints that limit the space for solutions. This article aims to analyze the concept of order under a new light, by emphasizing new perspectives and by offering a new conception of the rules governing the idea of order itself.
KEYWORDS – Order – Authority – Anti-authoritarian thesis – Contingency – Decisionism