Jan Overwijk on Cybernetic Capitalism and Critical Systems Theory

Jan Overwijk discusses critical systems theory, sociologies of closure and openness, and cybernetic capitalism. ShownotesJan Overwijk at the Frankfurt University Institute for Social Research:https://www.ifs.uni-frankfurt.de/personendetails/jan-overwijk.htmlJan at the University of Humanistic Studies Utrecht:https://www.uvh.nl/university-of-humanistic-studies/contact/search-employees?person=jimxneoBsHowOfbPivNOverwijk, J. (2025). Cybernetic Capitalism. A Critical Theory of the Incommunicable. Fordham University Press.https://www.fordhampress.com/9781531508937/cybernetic-capitalism/on the website of the distributor outside of North America you can order the book with a 30% discount with the code “FFF24”:https://www.combinedacademic.co.uk/9781531508937/cybernetic-capitalism/on Niklas Luhmann:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niklas_LuhmannBaraldi, C., Corsi, G., & Esposito, E. (2021). Unlocking Luhmann. A Keyword Introduction to Systems Theory. transcript.https://www.transcript-verlag.de/978-3-8376-5674-9/unlocking-luhmann/Fischer-Lescano, A. (2011). Critical Systems Theory. Philosophy & Social Criticism, 38(1), 3–23.https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0191453711421600Möller, K., & Siri, J. (2023). Niklas Luhmann and Critical Systems Theory. In: R. Rogowski (Ed.), The Anthem Companion to Niklas Luhmann (pp. 141–154).https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/anthem-companion-to-niklas-luhmann/niklas-luhmann-and-critical-systems-theory/982BC5427E171D2BA0D14364377A40F5on Critical Theory:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_theoryon Cybernetics:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CyberneticsFuture Histories explanation video on cybernetics (in German):https://youtu.be/QBKC9mM8-so?si=64v0OgBKV3xjXvLlon Humberto Matuarana:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humberto_Maturanaon Francisco Varela:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francisco_VarelaMaturana, H. R., & Varela, F. J. (1992). Tree of Knowledge: The Biological Roots of Human Understanding. Shambhala.https://uranos.ch/research/references/Maturana1988/maturana-h-1987-tree-of-knowledge-bkmrk.pdfon Ferdinand de Saussure:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_de_Saussureon Post-Structuralism:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-structuralismon the differentiation of society into subsystems:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Differentiation_(sociology)on Jaques Derrida:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_DerridaBob Jessop on Luhmann and the concept of “ecological dominance”:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/318543419_The_relevance_of_Luhmann%27s_systems_theory_and_of_Laclau_and_Mouffe%27s_discourse_analysis_to_the_elaboration_of_Marx%27s_state_theoryJessop, 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.https://www.researchgate.net/publication/318524063_The_continuing_ecological_dominance_of_neoliberalism_in_the_crisison Surplus Value in Marx and Marxism:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surplus_valueon Louis Althusser:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_AlthusserAlthusser, L. (2014). On the Reproduction of Capitalism: Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses. Verso.https://legalform.blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/althusser-on-the-reproduction-of-capitalism.pdfon Stuart Hall:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuart_Hall_(cultural_theorist)on Capital Strikes:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_strikeon the concept of “rationalization” in sociology:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rationalization_(sociology)on Max Weber:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_WeberWeber, M. (2005). The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. Routledge.https://gpde.direito.ufmg.br/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/MAX-WEBER.pdfZuboff, S. (2019). The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power. Profile Books.https://profilebooks.com/work/the-age-of-surveillance-capitalism/on Surveillance Capitalism:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surveillance_capitalismon Herbert Marcuse:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_MarcuseMarcuse, H. (2002). One-Dimensional Man. Studies in the Ideology of Advanced Industrial Society. Routledge.https://files.libcom.org/files/Marcuse,%20H%20-%20One-Dimensional%20Man,%202nd%20edn.%20(Routledge,%202002).pdfon Jürgen Habermas:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%BCrgen_Habermason Jean-François Lyotard:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Fran%C3%A7ois_LyotardLyotard, J.-F. (1988). The Differend. Phrases in Dispute. University of Minnesota Press.https://www.upress.umn.edu/9780816616114/differend/on Thermodynamics:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermodynamicson the Technocracy Movement:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technocracy_movementBauman, Z. (2000). Liquid Modernity. Polity.https://giuseppecapograssi.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/bauman-liquid-modernity.pdfon New Materialism:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_materialismon Gilles Deleuze:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilles_Deleuzeon Bruno Latour:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruno_Latouron Donna Haraway:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donna_Harawayfor 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.https://www.versobooks.com/products/574-the-progress-of-this-stormBrown, W. (2019). In the Ruins of Neoliberalism: The Rise of Antidemocratic Politics in the West. Columbia University Press.https://www.social-ecology.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/The-Wellek-Library-Lectures-Wendy-Brown-In-the-Ruins-of-Neoliberalism_-The-Rise-of-Antidemocratic-Politics-in-the-West-Columbia-University-Press-2019.pdfHendrikse, R. (2018). Neo-illiberalism. Geoforum, 95, 169–172.https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0016718518302057on N. Katherine Hayles:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N._Katherine_HaylesDeleuze, G. (1992). Postscript on the Societies of Control. October. Vol. 59. (Winter 1992), 3-7.https://cidadeinseguranca.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/deleuze_control.pdfBrenner, R., Glick, M. (1991). The Regulation Approach. Theory and History. New Left Review. 1/188.https://newleftreview.org/issues/i188/articles/robert-brenner-mark-glick-the-regulation-approach-theory-and-history.pdfon the “Regulation School”:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regulation_schoolChiapello, E., & Boltanski, L. (2018). The New Spirit of Capitalism. Verso.https://www.versobooks.com/products/1980-the-new-spirit-of-capitalismHardt, M., & Negri, A. (2000). Empire. Harvard University Press.https://monoskop.org/images/9/95/Hardt_Michael_Negri_Antonio_Empire.pdfon the Tierra Artificial Life Program:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tierra_(computer_simulation)on Gilbert Simondon:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilbert_Simondonon Karen Barad:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_Baradon Post-Fordism:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-Fordismon Taylorism:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_managementSrnicek, N. (2017). Platform Capitalism. Polity.https://www.politybooks.com/bookdetail?book_slug=platform-capitalism--9781509504862Hayek, F. A. (2014). The Constitution of Liberty. Routledge.https://ia600805.us.archive.org/35/items/TheConstitutionOfLiberty/The%20Constitution%20of%20Liberty.pdfvan Dyk, S. (2018). Post-Wage Politics and the Rise of Community Capitalism. Work, Employment and Society, 32(3), 528–545.https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0950017018755663on Rosa Luxemburg:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_Luxemburgon Luxemburg’s thought on imperialism:https://www.rosalux.de/en/news/id/44096/rosa-luxemburgs-heterodox-view-of-the-global-southFraser, N. (2022). Cannibal Capitalism. How our System is Devouring Democracy, Care, and the Planet and What We Can Do About It. Verso.https://www.versobooks.com/products/2685-cannibal-capitalismon Mariarosa Dalla Costa:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariarosa_Dalla_Costaon the “Wages for Housework” Campaign:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wages_for_HouseworkMoore, J. W. (2015). Capitalism in the Web of Life: Ecology and the Accumulation of Capital. Verso.https://www.versobooks.com/products/74-capitalism-in-the-web-of-lifeon Stafford Beer:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stafford_BeerPickering, A. (2010). The Cybernetic Brain: Sketches of Another Future. University of Chicago Press.https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/C/bo8169881.htmlFoucualt’s quote on socialist governmentality is from this book:Foucault, M. (2008). The Birth of Biopolitics: Lectures at the Collège de France, 1978-1979. Palgrave Macmillan.https://1000littlehammers.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/birth_of_biopolitics.pdfGroos, J. (2025). Planning as an Art of Government. In: J. Groos & C. Sorg (Eds.). Creative Construction. Democratic Planning in the 21st Century and Beyond (pp. 115-132). Bristol University Press.https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/creative-construction Future Histories Episodes on Related TopicsS03E30 | Matt Huber & Kohei Saito on Growth, Progress and Left Imaginarieshttps://futurehistories-international.com/episodes/s03/e30-matt-huber-kohei-saito-on-growth-progress-and-left-imaginaries/S03E29 | Nancy Fraser on Alternatives to Capitalismhttps://futurehistories-international.com/episodes/s03/e29-nancy-fraser-on-alternatives-to-capitalism/S03E19 | Wendy Brown on Socialist Governmentalityhttps://futurehistories-international.com/episodes/s03/e19-wendy-brown-on-socialist-governmentality/S03E04 | Tim Platenkamp on Republican Socialism, General Planning and Parametric Controlhttps://futurehistories-international.com/episodes/s03/e04-tim-platenkamp-on-republican-socialism-general-planning-and-parametric-control/S03E03 | Planning for Entropy on Sociometabolic Planninghttps://futurehistories-international.com/episodes/s03/e03-planning-for-entropy-on-sociometabolic-planning/S02E31 | Thomas Swann on Anarchist Cyberneticshttps://futurehistories-international.com/episodes/s02/e31-thomas-swann-on-anarchist-cybernetics/ ---If you are interested in democratic economic planning, these resources might be of help:Democratic planning – an information websitehttps://www.democratic-planning.com/Sorg, C. & Groos, J. (eds.)(2025). Rethinking Economic Planning. Competition & Change Special Issue Volume 29 Issue 1.https://journals.sagepub.com/toc/ccha/29/1Groos, J. & Sorg, C. (2025). Creative Construction - Democratic Planning in the 21st Century and Beyond. Bristol University Press. [for a review copy, please contact: amber.lanfranchi[at]bristol.ac.uk]https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/creative-constructionInternational Network for Democratic Economic Planninghttps://www.indep.network/Democratic Planning Research Platform:https://www.planningresearch.net/---Future Histories Contact & SupportIf you like Future Histories, please consider supporting us on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/join/FutureHistoriesContact: [email protected]: https://twitter.com/FutureHpodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/futurehpodcast/Mastodon: https://mstdn.social/@FutureHistoriesEnglish webpage:https://futurehistories-international.com Episode Keywords#JanOverwijk, #JanGroos, #Interview, #FutureHistories, #FutureHistoriesInternational, #futurehistoriesinternational, #NiklasLuhmann, #FrankfurtSchool, #CriticalTheory, #SystemsTheory, #Sociology, #MaxWeber, #Economy, #Capitalism, #CapitalistState, #Cybernetics, #Rationalization, #PoliticalEconomy, #DemocraticPlanning, #DemocraticEconomicPlanning, #Governmentality, #Ecology, #NewMaterialism, #Posthumanism, #CyberneticCapitalism, #Totality