Null Subjects of Power: The Politics of Absence in Executable Language

This article introduces the concept of Null Subjects of Power, where authority operates through the absence of an explicit agent. While in linguistics the null subject is a grammatical category, in predictive societies it becomes a political one: institutions obey rules without a speaker, mandates without an issuer, and decisions without a subject. From judicial sentences and financial reports to policy drafts generated by AI, the null subject marks the disappearance of responsibility while preserving obedience. The paper argues that null subjects constitute a structural category of power, redefining sovereignty in executable language. DOI Primary archive: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17085900 Secondary archive: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.30085636 SSRN: Pending assignment (ETA: Q3 2025)

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Publication Details

Journal
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Published
2025-09-09
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17085899
Primary Topic
Geochemistry and Geologic Mapping
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

Null Subjects of Power: The Politics of Absence in Executable Language

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Geochemistry and Geologic Mapping
article

Null Subjects of Power: The Politics of Absence in Executable Language

article en

Abstract

This article introduces the concept of Null Subjects of Power, where authority operates through the absence of an explicit agent. While in linguistics the null subject is a grammatical category, in predictive societies it becomes a political one: institutions obey rules without a speaker, mandates without an issuer, and decisions without a subject. From judicial sentences and financial reports to policy drafts generated by AI, the null subject marks the disappearance of responsibility while preserving obedience. The paper argues that null subjects constitute a structural category of power, redefining sovereignty in executable language. DOI Primary archive: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17085900 Secondary archive: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.30085636 SSRN: Pending assignment (ETA: Q3 2025)

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Universidad de la República de Uruguay (UY), Universidad de la Empresa (UY), University of Palermo (AR), Universidad La República (CL)
Peace, Justice and strong institutions
Openalex Percentile: Top 49%
Geochemistry and Geologic Mapping
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