Nouveau pluralisme juridique et transformations de l'individu

Abstract

In his recent works, Jean-Guy Belley, based on his research on legal pluralism, puts forward a disenchanted diagnosis of late modernity as characterized by the prominence of organizational phenomena and by a new kind of "break between collective and individual consciousness." This diagnosis merits comparison with other global interpretations of social reality, in particular Niklas Luhmann's systems theory. Such a comparison suggests a possible development of the model that can be derived from Belley's work. It is worth taking into account the differences between organizations, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, functionally differentiated systems such as economy, law, or science. This could enable us to revisit ongoing evolutions with respect to human individuality. The hypothesis is that individuals today act more and more as agents of organizations, and less and less as professionals carrying out functionally differentiated activities, and that they are invited to experience themselves less as individual subjects, than as organization-individuals.