Key terms of sociological systems theory (Luhmann et al.)
Actions / Actors
Autopoiesis
Code
Cognitive Routines
Communication
Communication Address
Communication Channel
(Social) Complexity
Conditioned Co-Production
Consciousness System
Decision
Deparadoxification
Decision Premise
Decision Program
Element / Relation
(Spencer Brown) Form
Fourth Selection
Function System
Generalized Symbolic Media
Human Beings as Multi-Systems
Interaction System
Interpenetration
Meaning as Medium
Medium and Form
Observation (as a Distinction-Based Concept)
Operational Closure
Organization Culture
Organization System
Paradox
Person
Personnel
Perturbation
Psyche / Psychic System
Re-Entry
Self-Reference / Other-Reference
Self-Organization
Social System
Society
Societal Differentiation
Sociocybernetics
Structural Coupling
Structure
System / Environment
Uncertainty Absorption
World
Actions / Actors
The observation of communications as actions is a self-simplification of emergent social systems such as interactions, organizations, etc. processing these communications.
This includes the attribution of actions to actors (persons, organizations, or families), which are seen as communication addresses in sociocybernetics.
For a short explanation of why human beings / individuals are pop-sociological fictions see this comment: human actors as pop-sociological “fictions” / see also human beings as multi-systems.
Autopoiesis
In biology (-> Humberto Maturana / Francisco Varela), the self-reproduction of a living entity such as a cell.
In sociocybernetics, the conditioned co-production of the emergent, operationally closed and meaning processing systems, consciousness and communication, which are structurally coupled by oral, written, printed, etc. media forms.
Each of these operationally closed systems follows its own mode of reproduction (“autopoiesis”), i.e. the concatenation of thoughts or the concatenation of communications. But, they are structurally coupled especially by means of oral, written, printed, etc. media forms so that they can perturb (de-stabilize) each other.
Note:
The conditioned co-production of consciousness and communication systems transcends the traditional “logic” and grammar of subject-object or of actors doing something. These inherently turbulent systems resemble rather impersonal processes (thinking – thinking – thinking… / communicating – communicating – communicating…) without a hidden controller. So, in the case of consciousness systems there´s no ego behind it able to control everything. The ego is just the product of the dynamic self-descriptions of the impersonal consciousness system.
Code
Distinctions as pairs of oppositions such as true / false, present / absent, etc. These (binary) codes are crucial in function systems such as science, art, politics, economy, etc. for regulating the flow of system specific communications [-> what does / doesn´t belong to the respective function system?].
Cognitive Routines
Cognitive routines represent the ways in which the environment is observed by an organization. For example, certain characteristics of the customers of a company.
So, a cognitive routine is a specific type of decision premises, which are all crucial for the decision-making process of an organization.
Communication
Traditionally, communication is seen either as transmission of information between a sender and a receiver or as “inter”-dimension (social mind, intersubjectivity, etc.).
But, it´s unclear how the transfer of information between minds is possible. And, it´s even more unclear what “inter”-dimension could mean: a fusion of minds, some kind of telepathy, etc.?
So, it´s likely that those older approaches are just metaphors compensating for the lack of more adequate theories of communication.
In sociocybernetics, communication is conceptualized as the socio-emergent synthesis of three selections that can´t be attributed to human cognition:
Information: What is communicated?
Utterance: Why and how is something communicated?
Understanding: In retrospect, an information is distinguished from an utterance so that the distinction information / utterance is constituted in the process of coordinating the behavior of two or more consciousness systems (which presuppose bodily and psychic infrastructures, see human beings as multi-systems).
Or, to put it differently: Communication as a (blind) coordination mechanism emerges when two or more consciousness systems “are” in a social situation where there´s a certain pressure to coordinate their behavior. Therefore, communication as the synthesis of the three selections mentioned above is the basic unit of the social dimension.
Communication as a socio-emergent phenomenon implies that it always (!) depends on the functioning of bodies and minds (perceptions / thought processes). But, it can´t be reduced to human cognition. That is: Thought and communication processes don´t overlap (-> operational closure). They can only perturb each other due to structural coupling in the process of conditioned co-production. Consequently, communication processes follow their own mode of reproduction and have their own social dynamics (beyond human cognition)!
Communication Address
Communication Channel
(Social) Complexity
Conditioned Co-Production
Consciousness System
Contingency
Decision
Decision Premise
Decision Program
Deparadoxification
Element / Relation
(Spencer Brown) Form
Fourth Selection
Function System
Generalized Symbolic Media
Human Beings as Multi-Systems
Interaction System
Interpenetration
Meaning as Medium
Medium and Form
Observation (as a Distinction-Based Concept)
Operational Closure
Technik lässt sich nur beobachten
und nur einrichten, wenn ein System bestimmt, welche der unzähligen Elemente
zu koppeln sind. Technik ist nach all dem ein guter Beleg für unsere Ausgangsthese, dass operative Schließung keineswegs kausale Isolation bedeutet, wohl
aber die Möglichkeit gewährt, systemintern durch Disposition über eigene Elemente Kopplungen mit der Umwelt zu realisieren.
Organization Culture
Organization System
Paradox
Person
Personnel
Perturbation
Position
Psyche / Psychic System
Re-Entry
Self-Reference / Other-Reference
Self-Organization
Social System
Society
Societal Differentiation
Sociocybernetics
Structural Coupling
Structure
System / Environment
Uncertainty Absorption
World
Approaches and Tools for Entrepreneurs 