In order to go about with the business of empowerment, there must be an understanding that it is also an endeavor in immanence rather than transcendence. This also brings to light the relationship between reality and the structures that fill that reality. With this understanding one can look at the distinctions between law and democracy in a more precise way, being able to be fully aware how to successfully bring about empowerment on a political level. For any empowerment must occur on the political level since that is its function as a subset of the social field. Therefore, empowerment is not just particular actions toward a goal, but a general tearing down of a monolithic approach to reality and the human experience within it. If the taking apart is not accomplished, then there can only be the superficial appearance of empowerment for individuals and collectives. In other words, human empowerment must deconstruct all that seems beyond human reach and yet still controls human existence.
The relationship between reality and structures begins with reality containing structures, but then these structures appear to envelope reality itself. The surplus ofreality is external to any particular structure. It can be what exists between particular structures. This surplus of reality presents itself as a field of absolute difference, where each real part is completely different from any other real part. However, reality in itself is unknowable unless it is mediated by structures, parts put together to form coherent wholes. There are gaps of contradictions that are internal to particular structures, and these gaps of contradictions are the space of opportunity for the creation of novelty. This process of the creation of novelty is possible because the gaps of contradictions are the intrusion of raw reality into the structure without being mediated by that structure. The structure will then change into something new in order to deal with this intrusion of reality. Overall, reality acts as the general background that is the containment of particular experiences by humans.
Structures begin as formations within the field of reality, but try to contain all of reality and present themselves as the source of truth. Structural alienation can be defined as the formation of an external identity for humans, where a sense of self is constructed through structures that exist and precede the individual human who is within that structure. There is then an internalization of this identity that creates an artificial lack. In turn, small partial objects of desire form as the appearance of reality in itself. Humans seek the fulfillment of this artificial lack through a process of drive that directs humans to small partial objects of desire. Moving from the artificial lack toward the small partial objects of desire, humans attempt to achieve a unity with the appearance of reality through these small partial objects of desire. The fulfillment of the artificial lack is equated with a reunion with pure reality, but in actuality human desire is channeled into limited exercises of drive that are contained by structures. Overall, structures act as the particular expression that is the organization of a general background for humans.
The relationship between transcendence and immanence is one that begins with the human creation of immanent structures that are themselves immanent to reality, but will tend to become transcendent to other structures and the reality that it supposedly organizes. The transcendent category can be defined as the appearance of an absolute truth and actual reality. For example, the appearance of the social as a transcendent category allows the social to be presented as the source for other structures. A subsumption of individuals and collectives occur under the determination of a transcendent category and it is the appearance of the transcendent category that obscures the partial difference and partial equivalence of the parts of reality. What began as parts on an equal footing with each other alongside the forms that arrange the parts becomes an elevation of one part or form as the foundation that precedes all the others. The transcendence of what was immanent takes the place of reality in an inauthentic way.
Immanence, on the other hand, can be a way to reclaim the authentic mode of structures. Immanence can take apart transcendent structures that disguise themselves as reality in itself. The immanent totality can be defined as the creation of a method in order to express free agency, something which is severely restricted by transcendent structures. Public immanence can be the recognition that the social is not a transcendent category that would precede all other structures. Private immanence can be the separation of individuals and collectives from any transcendent category within the social, and a resistance by individuals and collectives from transcendence in general. The creation of novelty through immanent totality would be an apparent inclusion and exclusion of parts of reality, a conscious way to create tools that can empower humans rather than have humans defer to structures that seem to be universal and monolithic.
The relationship between the law and democracy can be the best illustration of the contrasting nature of transcendence and immanence. The law is a transcendence and universalization of particular political decisions, with the goal of maintaining a continuity of order in the social. The law is a general background of democracy through a natural and eternal appearance to such a degree that it looks like some aspects of the law precede any democratic structure. The law seems to originate from reality rather than from human action. In practice, the law is a vertical system whose goal is that of structural reproduction and whose product is hierarchy. This is regardless of the reality it attempts to order since its goal is continuity. Therefore, the law is the limit of free agency through the drive of a transcendent category.
Democracy deals with the immediate matters within the social field. Democracy is an immanence and a singularity of particular political decisions. It is the process that deals with political problems usually involving some inequality of power, ideas, or objects. The political decisions of a democracy is the solution that tries to form an equilibrium within the social. Democracy is a particular expression of the law through this dynamic equilibrium. In practice, democracy is a horizontal system whose goal is that of the creation of novelty and whose product is freedom itself. This formation of something new directly impacts the reality that democracy finds itself in, and is immanent to this reality while being a rupture in the continuity of the law. Therefore, democracy is the expression of free agency through the desire of an immanent totality.
The three parallel relationships of reality or structures, transcendence or immanence, and the law or democracy can illuminate how empowerment can occur. The most important element is free agency and its ability to be expressed through immanent structures in spite of a tendency toward transcendence that all structures exhibit, especially structures made by humans. Democracy can be that structure as long as it does not transform itself into an eternal law that is not only transcendent but an ignoring of the true background of reality. Empowerment requires the correct tools, and the use of immanent structures in opposition to transcendence can be the right method for empowerment that is also a full recognition of reality that precedes all structures. The vital characteristic of a structure that begins as an immanent creation must be preserved in order to avoid the subsumption of humans by those same structures. The immanent structure is the ability to express human desire and freedom, rather than humans becoming a part of transcendence that functions according to its own mechanism and reproduction. Any project for a desire and freedom that is new in the world is automatically an immanent endeavor that must constantly oppose transcendence that would in turn restrict human nature.