This article reconstructs the theoretical trajectory of Gabriel Cohn, whose work can be divided broadly into two phases. In the first, particularly under the influence of Adorno and Weber, modernity is viewed from the angle of domination and a tendency towards the construction of oppressively inclusive systems. In the second, maintaining these fundamentals, the issues of "pluralism" and indifference (particularly with a critical reading of Luhmann) are perceived as shaping a new pattern of civilization. Cohn thus proves to be a fundamental theoretical reference for understanding modernity in both its initial and contemporary phases.