Verbatim quote · from the corpus

“If the imperatives coming from the occupant of the center are waning that must be because other imperatives, maybe from further afar, maybe from closer, are waxing. Since there can be no universal criteria for determining when the source of command has moved from one site to another, the question of succession is inherently problematic. My argument for singularized succession in perpetuity aims at inscribing wisdom into the imperative order in the form of naming the successor against a background of more or less plausible candidates, or candidates of fluctuating plausibility, distributed across institutions designed precisely to provide such candidates and commemorate succession. Insofar as the entire social order is centered on succession, it will by definition proceed in an orderly way; insofar as it doesn’t proceed in an orderly way, the social order has not been so organized. This provides us with criteria for the transference of obligation and loyalty to another line, because in that case the more effective commands will come from someone operationalizing latent commands from somewhere in the stack. But now we can say that what this means is that more direct and richer lines of transition from imperatives to declaratives through interrogatives fill up the imperative gap with a different order of candidates and ceremonies hearkening back to the originary distribution.”

— Adam Katz, The Problem of Obedience, Revisited · Apr 1, 2025 · Bouvard Substack