Social systems

From Geography

Niklas Luhmann distinguishes four kinds of systems in society: machines, organisms, social systems and psychic systems. Social systems and psychic systems share the feature of the usage of meaning. Social systems cannot exist without material systems. Social systems are constituted by self reference. They refer to themselves in every operation (Gren & Zierhofer, 2002, p. 8).

Luhmann sees three different levels of analysis. By doing this, he can position social systems in relation to other systems. The first level of analysis is on the level of the system. This level exist of general principles that are not specific to particular kinds of systems. On the second level the different kinds of systems mentioned above are distinguished. These systems share some characteristics, but also have important differences. Here the social systems are positioned in relation to the other systems. The third level consists of three kinds of social systems: interactions, organizations and societies. Interactions are social systems based on face-to-face contact, Organisations are autopoietic social systems that consist of defined networks of communication and society is the only social system that includes all communications which refer to each other. According to Luhmann, society is the totality of all social systems.

References

Gren, M. & Zierhofer. W. (2002). The unity of difference. A critical appraisal of Niklas Luhmann´s theory of social systems in the context of corporeality and spatiality. Nijmegen: University of Nijmegen.

Contributors

Created by User:BoudewijnIdema, 17 October 2011, 20:26 (UTC)

Edited by Fenki Evers & Anton de Hoogh

Links added by Aafke Brus --AafkeBrus 17:07, 31 October 2011 (CET)