Everything that happens occurs in a present. And everything that happens occurs in a society. There is a tension between these two statements. For everything that happens occurs here and now, and at the same time in the context of the absent and the invisible; it is transcended spatially and temporally within a society. This very experience is what makes modern society unique. Sociology has always attempted to resolve the tension between present and society, placing emphasis either on the present or on society. With the concept of a "society of presents," Armin Nassehi seeks to resolve this tension through practical, systemic, and societal theory.