Cultural differences should not get in the way of communication, which means the creation of social systems. In the chapter … More
Category: Double Contingency
Subordinating structure to function
In the Forward th the English translation of Social Systems, Eva M. Knodt writes, What distinguishes the systems-theoretical approach to … More
Chekhov’s Ivanoff and the inability to understand oneself or others
In Chekhov’s comedy Ivanoff (sometimes written as Ivanov), revised and first performed in St. Petersburg in 1889, Chekhov explores the … More
Eudora Welty and Double Contingency
Eudora Welty’s central theme in all of her work might be the separation that lies between human minds. One person … More
Stratification, functional differentiation, and double contingency
I’ve written a lot about expectations on this blog because they are central to Luhmann’s theoretical work. For instance, memory … More
The Intentional Fallacy and Social Systems
The Encyclopedia Britannica offers the following definition of intentional fallacy: Intentional fallacy, term used in 20th-century literary criticism to describe the problem inherent in trying … More
What Is Holding Societies Together?
We can only think in terms society falling apart if we start with the assumption that society is a whole … More
US Dept of Justice versus Apple: The Law and the Economy as Autonomous Systems
I’ve been thinking about the controversy between Apple and the US Department of Justice. The first thing to recognize is … More
Luhmann, Lacan, and the Cult Leader/Sovereign
Donald Trump is a lot like a cult leader, not so different from Jim Jones. No matter what he does, … More
Social Order?
If we agree that societies are not grounded in basic norms or shared values–or that there is no meta-level that … More
