Self reference
From Geography
Self reference can occur in natural or formal languages when a sentence refers to itself. Within the theory of social systems, self reference have been given a certain elaboration. Systems in the theory of Niklas Luhmann creates themselves and exist because they are self-referential.
Niklas Luhmann linked the term to autopoiesis (used by biologists Humberto Maturana and Manuela Varela to define the difference between living entities and other entities who might have equal complex forms of organization. For them the distinct feature of living entities is that they can produce and reproduce themselves (Arnoldi, 2001)), which is an important concept to Luhmann. He considers it as the heart of his systems theory where systems not only produce and reproduce themselves but also refer to themselves.
According to Niklas Luhmann (1995), social systems are constituted as self-referential objects. They can be observed and described as systems, by acknowledging that they refer to themselves in every operation. However, self-reference, as used by Luhmann, is not confined only to reference to one's self. Strictly speaking, if a system referred only to itself, and never acknowledged an environment, the term auto-reference would suffice (Luhmann, 1995). In order to explain the self-referential character of social systems, Gren & Zierhofer (2003) use the following example: 'When a comminucation constitutes a previous comminucation as a comminucation, it simultaneously distinguishes it from all those other things in the world that are not comminucation.'
As Niklas Luhmann also argues, social systems can only be characterized by their use of meaning. Theyb cannotn exist without the organisms within the system which creates the system itselves. Within social systems, the operation of these organisms take the form of comminucation. This comminucation is seen by Luhmann as an uterance of information. Therefore, comminucations are determined by nothing else, but comminucations.
References:
Arnoldi, J. (2002). Niklas Luhman. An Introduction. In: Theory, Culture & Society, 18, 1355-1372.
Gren, M. & Zierhofer, W. (2003). The unity of difference: a critical appraisal of Niklas Luhmann’s theory of social systems in the context of corporeality and spatiality. In: Environment and Planning A., 35, 615-630.
Luhmann, N. Social Systems, Stanford University Press, Stanford. 1995
Published by Thijs Koolhof (4048385) and Robbert Vossers (4080939)
Edited by Stefan Ramaker--StefanRamaker 21:55, 23 October 2012 (CEST)
