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Niklas Luhmann
Overview
Niklas Luhmann (; German: [ˈluːman]; December 8, 1927 – November 11, 1998) was a German sociologist, philosopher of social science, and systems theorist.
Niklas Luhmann is one of the most influential German sociologists of the 20th century. His thinking was based on the philosophical tradition and at the same time the reception of a wide variety of concepts from modern science. From this foundation he developed a functionalist-oriented systems theory, which claims to be able to describe all social phenomena in a theoretically consistent language.
Social systems are understood as communication contexts that have autonomy from the actors involved in them. On this basis, three types of social systems can be distinguished: interaction, organization and society.
On his general theory he developed a social theory, which describes modern society as a global society that is characterized by an internal differentiation into various autonomously working functional areas such as politics, law, economics, science, religion and art. According to Luhmann, their operations can not be coordinated centrally.
Overview adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0; see the article history for authors).
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This preparatory treatment consists in finding general propositions which express concisely what is common to large classes of observed facts; and these are called the empirical laws of the phenomena. We have, therefore, to inquire, whether any similar preparatory process can be performed on the facts of the social science; whether there are any empirical laws in history or statistics.
John Stuart Mill, A System of Logic, Ratiocinative and Inductive
States what Niklas Luhmann is.
The most insignificant Doctor of Philosophy, nay, even the student, has no further use for a complete "system." In the modern state, it is predicated that every citizen is able to pass judgment on all the questions upon which he is called upon to vote; in political economy it is assumed that every consumer is thoroughly acquainted with all commodities, which he has occasion to buy to maintain himself withal, and the…
Friedrich Engels, Landmarks of Scientific Socialism
States what Niklas Luhmann is.
During the early stages of social development, every small group of people, and often every family, obtained separately its own necessaries; but now, for each necessary, and for each superfluity, there exists a combined body of wholesale and retail distributors, which brings its branched channels of supply within reach of all.
Herbert Spencer, The Principles of Biology, Volume 1
Close in meaning to Niklas Luhmann; the term itself is not named.
Philosophers who discussed Niklas Luhmann
Related ideas
- Social system
- Philosophy of social science
- Jürgen Habermas
- Karl Popper
- Harvard University
- Sociology
- Max Weber
- Johann Georg Hamann
- Recursion
- Lewiston, New York
- Autopoiesis
- Scientific Revolution
- Theodor W. Adorno
- Metanarrative
- World War II
- Critical theory
- Communication
- Talcott Parsons
- Social environment
- Francisco Varela
- System
- Humberto Maturana
- Action theory (sociology)
- Binary code
Place in the tradition
Part of Enactivism.