My core research areas are political philosophy, political epistemology and social philosophy. A particular focus is on the topics of radical democratic theory and ideology critique. I work at the interface between theoretical analyses of our social self-understanding (through aesthetic theory, critique of capitalism, theories of subjectivation, philosophy of emotions) and concrete contemporary problems (populism, digitalization, anti-Semitism, etc.). The focus is on the reconstruction of a contemporary socio-critical ethics. The following research projects are subordinate to this:

Transformations of the political. Radical democratic theories for the 2020s

Right-wing populism and authoritarianism, debates about "identity politics", the digitalization of public debates and the power of conspiracy theories are leading to profound social, cultural and political transformation processes. Theories of the political and radical democracy are particularly suitable for examining these transformations, as they analyze the fundamental fragility of the liberal order. However, it is questionable whether the radical democratic demand for a disruption of the liberal order is the right response to the transformations described. Against this background, the research project is dedicated to the potential and necessity of updating radical democratic theories in order to meet these challenges. The focus is on the discussion of radical democratic normativity, explicitly the connection between the experience of contingency and normative political theory.

Cultural philosophy of uncertainty

Since the diagnoses of postmodernism, it has been discussed whether a new age of indifference has dawned with the overcoming of modernity's belief in progress and the unifying principle of reason. On the one hand, this age is understood as an emancipatory gain through the dissolution of apparent self-evident truths and thus solidified power structures. On the other hand, experiences of dissolution are held responsible for social crises under terms such as relativism, post-factuality or emotionalization. My work takes up these aporias and discusses them significantly with concepts of philosophical aesthetics understood as social theory, for example in the context of the concept of irony and its political implications, the idea of cultural counter-hegemonies and associated discourse theory. The works are framed by attempts at a general cultural theory, in particular following Ernst Cassier's philosophy of symbolic forms.

Understandings of democracy in the context of social change

The political and social conflicts of recent years can also be understood as battles over the interpretation of democracy. Pegida sees itself as the voice of the people, as does Occupy Wall Street. Democracy can therefore also be interpreted as an "empty signifier" that is filled differently depending on the political coalition. I therefore examine in particular the connection between ideas of democracy, the perception of political or social crises and the resulting actions. Populist debatesand conspiracy theories such as anti-Semitism, for example, are virulent, each taking up democratic semantics in different forms and instrumentalizing processes of self-determination. The project is guided by the question of whether a normatively meaningful understanding of democracy is possible without defining the concept without alternatives. The question is thus closely related to work on normativity in the context of radical democratic theory and a cultural philosophy of uncertainty.

Media use and political engagement

How do people who do not see themselves as part of the political and social mainstream inform themselves - on Telegram, in online portals or among friends? What technical skills do they develop through their information behaviour - do they learn encryption and programming or are they more interested in maximizing likes on Facebook? These questions are the focus of the interdisciplinary project "Media Use and Political Engagement", on which Dr. Johanna E. Möller (IfK) and Dr. Lucas von Ramin (Emerging Field Social Change) are working. To answer their research questions, the researchers are conducting qualitative guided interviews with very different people who do not see themselves as part of the political and social mainstream. A particular focus is on the question of what role political reflection skills play in the development of information environments and technology skills.

Monografien:

von Ramin, Lucas (2022): Politik der Ungewissheit. Grenzen postmoderner Sozialphilosophie bei R. Rorty, Z. Bauman und O. Marchart. Bielefeld: transcipt. als OA hier verfügbar: https://www.transcript-verlag.de/media/pdf/db/66/b4/oa9783839461938.pdf

von Ramin, Lucas (2017): Politik der Gewissheit. Zur Idee einer politischen Philosophie der Angst. Würzburg: Könighausen & Neumann. 

Rezension:

Selk, V. Eine politische Philosophie der Angst. Neue Polit. Lit. 64, 229–231 (2019), https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42520-018-0034-1

Aufsätze:

*peer reviewed

von Ramin, Lucas (2022, im Erscheinen): Kulturelle Gegenhegemonien: Radikaldemokratische Kulturpolitik im Angesicht rechtspopulistischer Inanspruchnahme, in: Marchart, Oliver/ Landau-Donnelly, Friederike/ Schad-Spindler, Anke/ Fridrik, Stefanie (Hg.): Konfliktuelle Kulturpolitik. Räume und Akteur*innen (radikal-)demokratischer Auseinandersetzung. Nomos.

*von Ramin, Lucas (2022, im Erscheinen): Demokratie und Verschwörungstheorien. Eine unfreiwillige Partnerschaft?, in: Zeitschrift für Praktische Philosophie.

*von Ramin, Lucas (2022): Anti-authoritarianism as a liberal culture: Richard Rorty between communitarian and liberal criticism, in: Contemporary Pragmatism 43 (9). DOI:  10.1163/18758185-bja10049.

von Ramin, Lucas (2022): Paradoxie der Selbstbestimmung - Gesellschaftliche Ursachen des Antisemitismus, in: Konstellationen des Antisemitismus. Interdisziplinäre Perspektiven aus der Nachwuchsforschung, V&R unipress.

von Ramin, Lucas (2022, im Erscheinen): „Populismus- Ein philosophisches Missverständnis radikaler Demokratie“, in: Philokles, 26.

*von Ramin, Lucas (2021): „Politiken der Wahrheit: normative Probleme postfundamentalistischer Theoriebildung“, in: Vogelmann, Frieder/Nonhoff, Martin (Hg.). Demokratie und Wahrheit. Nomos. DOI: 10.5771/9783748930167-119.

*von Ramin, Lucas (2021): „Die Substanz der Substanzlosigkeit: Das Normativitätsproblem radikaler Demokratietheorie“, in: Leviathan, 49. Jg., 3/2021, DOI: 10.5771/0340-0425-2021-3-1.

von Ramin, Lucas (2021): „Zwischen Verrohung und Sensibilisierung - Chancen einer Emotionalisierung des Politischen bei R. Rorty und Z. Bauman“, in: Helfritzsch, Paul/Hipper, Jörg Müller (Hg.). Die Emotionalisierung des Politischen. Bielefeld: transcipt, S. 235-259. DOI: 10.14361/9783839452783-016.

*von Ramin, Lucas (2021): „Zur Rationalität der Gefühle in Zeiten des Populismus“, in: diskurs (6), S. 23-42. DOI: 10.17185/diskurs/74372

von Ramin, Lucas (2020): „Zum Verhältnis von Angst und Politik in Zeiten von Corona. Oder: Wie Angst zuweilen ein guter Ratgeber sein kann“, in: Osnabrücker Friedensgespräche. Band 27/2020 »Emotion, Sprache, Politik«. Osnabrück: V&R unipress, S. 205-216.

von Ramin, Lucas (2020): „Zum Verhältnis von Angst und Politik in Zeiten von Corona. Oder: Wie Angst zuweilen ein guter Ratgeber sein kann“, In: Besand, Anja/Arenhövel, Mark: Die Corona-Vorlesung, Sozialwissenschaftliche Perspektiven. Wochenschau Verlag.

von Ramin, Lucas (2018): “Globalization as a Symbolic Form - Ernst Cassirers Philosophy of Symbolic Form as the basis of a theory of globalization”, in: Roldan, Concha; Brauer, Daniel; Rohbeck, Johannes (Hg.): Philosophy of Globalization. Boston: de Gruyter.

von Ramin, Lucas (2017): „Globalisierung als symbolische Form“, in: Rohbeck, Johannes (Hg.), Philosophie der Globalisierung. Dresden: Thelem. S. 177- 201.

"Zwischen Relativismus und Fundamentalismus: Ernst Cassirers Philosophie als Antwort auf die Krise des Normativen", as part of the conference "Form und Funktion der Philosophie Ernst Cassirers", 07.12.2023, Hamburg

Panel opening "Normative Revaluation of Uncertainty. Societal, Social and Political Conditions of a Democratic Culture of Uncertainty", as part of the conference "Political Theory in Times of Uncertainty", 28.09.2023, Bremen

"Ambivalent uncertainty. Poststructuralist theory in times of multiple crises", as part of the conference "Zeitenwende - Politik(Wissenschaft) in unsicheren Zeiten", 12.11.2023, Linz

"Diversity as a moral source? Die Abkehr vom Allgemeinen im Licht der Ideologiekritik", as part of the conference "Kämpfe um Diversität", 16.03.23, Duisburg.

Opening lecture "Normativität der radikalen Demokratietheorie?" in the context of the conference "Normativität der radikalen Demokratietheorie?", 03.03.23, Dresden

Opening lecture "Transformations of the political. Radical democratic theory for the 2020s", as part of the conference "Transformations of the political. Radical democratic theory for the 2020s", 20.10.22, Freiburg

"Identity politics between essentialist community and neoliberal individualism", as part of the lecture series "Alles wird nichts gewesen sein - Annäherungen an den Begriff der Identität", 22.06.2022, Dresden.

Panel discussant on "Irony in Antiquity and Modernity", as part of the conference "Irony and Democracy in Classical Antiquity and Modernity", 23-24.05.2022, Bochum.

"Radikale Demokratietheorie in der Kontroverse"; lecture at the Colloqium der Politischen Theorie, University of Greifswald/Prof. Hubertus Buchstein, 18.05.2022, Greifswald.

Cultural counter-hegemonies. Grenzen und Herausforderungen radikaldemokratischer Kulturpolitik, lecture at the conference "Konfliktuelle Kulturpolitik. Spaces and actors of (radical) democratic debate", 28.-29.01.22, Vienna.

"Selbstreflexion als gesellschaftliche Praxis - Ironie bei Hegel und Rorty", Hegel Congress 2021, 21-25.06.2021, Warsaw.

"Commentary on Kolja Möller's lecture: Das "Volk" der neuen Rechten: Between Authoritarian Liberalism and Neo-Fascist Dynamization", as part of the "Societal Change Forum", 01.06.2021, Dresden.

"Paradox of self-determination. What we can learn from W. Benjamin and M. Horkheimer about citizenship and anti-Semitism!", lecture as part of the series "Kontra Antisemitismus", 28.04.2021, Münster.

"Demokratie als Dissoziationsform - Zwischen Notwendigkeit und Pathologie", lecture as part of the workshop Dissoziation - psychosoziale Kompetenz zur Bewältigung von Entfremdung und Unverfügbarkeit?, 08.04.2021, St. Gallen.

"Social causes of anti-Semitism? On the added value of critical theory for the present", lecture for RAA Sachsen e.V, Bündnis gegen Antisemitismus, 24.03.21, Dresden (online).

"Corona als Herausforderung für die (radikale) Demokratietheorie: Zwischen Bedeutungsverlust und Beliebigkeit", lecture at the colloquium of the Institute of Philosophy, 10.02.2021, Dresden (online).

"Paradoxie der Selbstbestimmung", lecture as part of the campaign "Never Again! , 03.02.2021, Koblenz-Landau (online).

"Bürgerliche Ideologie und Antisemitismus", lecture at the 1st Interdisciplinary Conference on Antisemitism, 08.-10.10.2020, Trier.

"Angst und das Politische", lecture as part of the Werkstatt Philosophie, 23.01.2020, Dresden.

"Zwischen Verrohung und Sensibilisierung - Chancen einer Emotionalisierung des Politischen bei R. Rorty und Z. Bauman", lecture at the conference Die Emotionalisierung des Politischen, 21-24.11.2019, Jena.

"Kontingenzbewusstsein als ethisches Prinzip- Kontingenz als normativer Grundbegriff postfundamentalistischer Sozialphilosophie", lecture at the VII Conference on Practical Philosophy, 26-27.09.2019, Salzburg.

"Politics of truth. Illiberale Folgen postfundamentalistischer Theoriebildung", lecture at the DVPW conference Demokratie und Wahrheit, 13-15.03.2019, Bremen.

"Von einem, der ausog, das Fürchten zu lernen - Philosophische Perspektiven zum Verhältnis von Angst und Politik." KRETA April 2017, Dresden.

• Summer Term 2021: Course: The Democratic Subject in Capitalist Society
• WiSe 2020/21: Course: Theory and Development of the Constitutional StateS: Aesthetics and Capitalism; Course: Foundations of Political Thought
• Summer Term 2020 Course: Hannah Arendt's Political Philosophy; Course: Theories of Subjectivation
• WiSe 2019/20 Course: Foundational Texts of Critical Theory; Course: Rousseau: Discourse on Inequality
• SoSe 2019 Course: Ethics and Aesthetics; Course: Controversy over Knowledge (cooperation seminar with Institute for Political Science).
• WiSe 2018/19 Course: Judgment in Aesthetics and Social Philosophy; Course: Solidarity as an Ethical Principle
• Summer Term 2018 Course: Philosophy of Emotions; Course: Justification of Rule; Course: Controversy over Knowledge (cooperation seminar with Institute of Political Science).
• Winter Term 2017/2018 Course: On Thinking the "Political "; Course: Ernst Cassirer's "Attempt on Man"
• SoSe 2017 Course: Philosophy of the 20th Century and the Present; Course: Crisis of Modernity: Introduction to the Theories of Postmodernity
• WiSe 2016/17 Course: Fear and the PoliticalS: Machiavelli: "Principe "; Course: Philosophy of Friendship
• Summer Term 2016 Course: Justification of RuleS: Hobbes: "Leviathan"